By Anita Garner
People often pick Sunday night as the worst part of the week. Not the daytime, but the late afternoon into evening part. It’s the time when we realize the weekend is over. Even if it’s been a lousy weekend and we should be glad it’s over, still we dread Monday.
Some of us confess to a vague sense of dread as Sunday comes to a close. Is it the memory of having to give up our free time and go back to school Monday morning? Even mature adults who love their work and don’t mind at all showing up on Monday, deal with feelings of melancholy on Sunday night.
My favorite day of the week is Thursday, because on Thursday, we’re already through half of the week and headed into the part where we’re looking forward to a weekend. Though I work at home and don’t have to show up anywhere most Monday mornings, I still get that looking-forward-to rush every Thursday. There’s even an old saying for it. “Thursday’s good as a Friday.”
The one thing in life I feel I can control is anticipation. People say “Don’t get your hopes up.” I like getting them up. So I like Thursdays the way I enjoy most of the nights-before: The night before a birthday, for instance, and the ultimate night-before – Christmas Eve.
I like Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day. It doesn’t have to do with presents expected, but more to do with having everything waiting and yet to unfold. Christmas Day requires special maneuvering to keep it from feeling a bit like Sunday night.
Thursdays are Christmas Eve every week, when hopes are high and everything’s still possible.
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I think you’ve tapped into a universal truth, Hamster. Anticipation is the key to optimism, enthusiasm and happiness.
Anticipating vacation is frequently more exciting than the event, itself. Same goes for holidays, a new home — all the things we look forward to.
I, too, dread Sundays because I know it will make me dread Monday. This was true even when I was unemployed and didn’t even know for sure what day of the week it was!
Find something to look forward to every day. Even the little things make getting there a happier journey.
I know it usually depends on which time of the “life cycle” your joggin’ through — but as one of my favorite KGO/KSFO talk show hosts used to say just before he called it a career: “When you retire – every day oughta’ be like Saturday morning.”
Well, for me … many of those days “are.” Especially when I wake-up and can stick my tounge out at the clock face on my bedroom radio.
It usually goes like this: ” thththththt!” It’s fun. Hope you can try it.
Of course – all that can change. But for now, that “ththththth” thing is mostly … functional.
Morg