Monday, December 12, 2011

Lessons from Mondays

Today is the last Monday I will ever experience in the normal Mon-Fri; 8am-5pm working world. It's the last Monday I have in this cozy office of mine which is like a 2nd home by now. And it's the last Monday that can teach me lessons about... well... life.

Mondays are often looked upon with a lot of grief and dread. No one wants to end a perfectly peaceful weekend (does that even exist?) to resume a boisterously busy workweek (definitely exists). But the reality of it is that good old mean Monday, with the exception of Holidays (Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day - ...I know you keep track too), will always come. And though sometimes I do dread the menace Mondays bring, I am thankful for the lessons that Mondays teach.

I've been journaling what Mondays have been teaching me about life and such and want to celebrate my last Monday by posting some of those lessons here on my entry-deprived blog. So... here we go.

Lessons from Mondays
1) You can't outrun your responsibilities.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought on Friday: it's the end of the week and I'll just hold off on this one! I've done that a lot in my short 2 years of working here. But the first thing Mondays teach me every morning when I sit down on my office chair is that I cannot run away from my problems and my responsibilities. It's always waiting for me when I return.... I'm going to have to take care it eventually. So... take care of it. Or else it's like the tortoise and the hare story - you are the hare and your work is the tortoise (spoiler: the tortoise wins the race).

2) You have responsibilities.
Mondays teach me that I have things I need to take care of. That I do need to get up and get somewhere or accomplish some task. That though the weekend was a time of needed rest, I have duties, responsibilities, and actual things I'm entrusted to do. It reminds me to get to work and be active rather than to be slothful and lazy. I need that boost and reminder... or else I would be accomplishing very little. Rain or shine, you must still rise. For this lesson, I am thankful.

3) You must get enough sleep.
My brave friend used to say that 'Sleep is weakness entering the body. I'll sleep when I'm dead.' That same friend once stayed up for 3-4 days straight and then suddenly knocked out for a full 24 hours. He has never repeated his statement since.
Mondays are probably the most sleep-deprived day of the workweek because Sundays are the hardest days to discipline yourself to sleep. This is probably due to many reasons like late Friday nights, which lead to Saturday sleep-ins and Saturday sleep-lates, which lead to the post-church nap (I can't be the only post-church napper), which lead to not tired Sunday nights, which lead to the Sunday stay-ups which lead to tired Mondays. Tiresome Mondays are not fun, especially with much to do. So Mondays teach me the importance of sleep and to discipline myself to sleep. I need it and am dependent on it because I am a weak creature. Therefore I have to discipline myself to sleep because 'sleep is strength entering the body' so that I can face Mondays.

4) Coffee works magic.
Mondays teach me that you will fail Monday lesson #3 very often. But, not to worry, there is an alternative solution called, 'coffee.' Absolutely amazing. I will let a comic strip I made do the talking for me here.

5) Work is a Grace Gift.
Yes, in all honesty, sometimes I absolutely dread coming into work on Mondays. But I think the biggest thing Monday mornings teach me is to chill, take a breath, and realize what I have. Every single Monday (no matter how stressful or dreadful) reminds me that I have a job with which I can support myself, pay the bills, and even save. It reminds me that my employment is a privilege and a grace gift. I do not deserve it at all and I am absolutely thankful that I have it. I have an amazing office that I love (full-loaded with a sling-shot and stress target), amazing co-workers who are fun and hard-working, and an amazing sick/vacation time and benefits package. It has been a good 2 years. Work has truly been a privilege.


Well... Working life Mondays - it has been a good two years. Thank you for all your lessons.

3 comments:

Sam P said...

I LOVE post-church naps!

YoungisLearning said...

I need to learn #3!

Stephen Kim said...

cho why u gotta lay me out like that ?? hahaha