Monday Morning Blues
The following is part of an email from my girlfriend, Val:
anyway, i'm so sleepy today. it was rough getting up this morning. but here i am, at work, and it's finally friday. every time i look forward to the weekend, i remember something someone said, oh actually it was at the landmark minisession. the guy said how we always live in the future. always looking forward to friday, and getting the monday blues on sunday afternoon. and it's so true and it affects how you feel right now because something is coming up. but what about right now? not that i'm happy to be up and at work right now, and i am very happy that it's friday. but we had SUCH a nice time on wednesday and we were just living in the moment. pretty much. do you know what i mean? so anyway, that always just makes me think... (3.17.06)
I thought this might be an apt topic to tackle today as many of us are probably suffering through the Monday morning blues. So many people, especially in a place like New York City, suffer through five days to enjoy two. I say two because, though Friday evening is great, a lot of us start dreading the week come Sunday evening. Though I am guilty of thinking this way sometimes, I know that I will not allow myself to go through life with this mindset. Granted, a lot of people would argue that this sort of lifestyle isn't a choice, but rather necessary for a myriad of reasons, which I won't get into now. Still...
Either (a) you work a job with normal hours so you can pay the bills, and then you spend your evenings doing what you love or (b) you love what you do every day, even if you're at work from 9 in the morning till midnight or (c) if you have to be where you're at now and there isn't a choice but to work as hard as you're working because that's necessary for what you want to achieve later on in life, make the process fun.
There's a difficulty dichotomy here. On the one hand, I think you need to be present to the here and now, in order to enjoy life as it happens. Isn't that the only time we have to enjoy, the present? I believe contentment and joy can be had perpetually, irrespective of circumstances. On the other hand, when does contentment prevent you from working towards more? More isn't always bad. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life for more.
Thoughts, anyone?
Disclaimer: Do not quit your job and explain to your loved ones that I have inspired you to be a bum while searching for your true calling. I cannot afford to feed and house you, much as I would enjoy that. I do, however, want you to consider why you've committed your life to be about what it's about. What is your life about?
posted by Kris @ 12:42 PM
10 Comments:
"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."
--Author Unknown
I have had this quote on my wall for ages now – and I am always amazed at the number of situations I can apply it to. Every day I wake up, a different part of it makes sense. Today it is “When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever…”
I am often guilty of looking either backwards or forwards in my life instead of living in the present. It’s a lot like looking through a camera lens at the scenery. Sure, you have all the memories, but have you really truly admired the vista?
But then how do you go about living your life in the moment, while going from good to great? I’m only half joking – I’d really like to know!
Since I have allowed anonymous commenting, I have chosen to moderate the comments. That simply means that I get to read them before they're posted, so that I can filter out random and inappropriate messages. That's why there's a delay between when you post and when what you've written actually shows up as a comment.
I've thought about this often as it can get me into a spot of bother on occasion. Perhaps I just live in my own fantasy world and/or on a completely different plane of existence, but for some reason (and thankfully so) I have never really had any problems with living in the "now" while others do everything but.
It really annoys me when some of my friends are always stressing about the future and/or the past that they totally forget the most important thing - NOW! Why is it so? Do people really fear the future so much? Really, what is the worst that can happen?
There is this saying in Hinduism that goes somewhat like this "You came here with nothing, you are going to leave with nothing..." so might as well make the most of what we have in between instead of trying to figure out what we came with and what we might want to leave with.
Today is only Tuesday, but you know what? Its a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the seagulls are having the time of their life and the swans are just going with the flow. Yes, I have an ocean view from my work desk and I see these events on a daily basis so I guess its one of the reasons I don't mind being at work. :) In fact, I think I’m going to go for a walk outside. Might as well take advantage of the “now” eh?
Contrary to yesterday (when I was feeling blahed out), I have a great feeling about today! and tomorrow! and the day after! and the day after that!!
More power to you, Bro. You have a very healthy approach to living life, and one I would argue is unfortunately quite uncommon.
"Do not worry about your past. Do not be angry. Do not hate. Enjoy the present. Leave your future to Providence."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Live in the NOW! That's all there is really! You can't change the past, and you shouldn't worry about the future..
Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere!
I like the rocking chair analogy. That's funny.
(1) Pls check spelling of contentment ... contenment TWICE.
(2) I'd like to be a bum and be housed and fed. Where in NY do you live?
OK, just kidding ... I just think it's funny, that's all. No need to post this.
sis
"Have a great day ... unless you have other plans"?!!!
I love it! Mom and Dad have attitude, yo! Ha ha ...
I don't get why Blogger doesn't provide a spell check. Or maybe I just haven't found it yet. Regardless, I have fixed my "contenments". I just want to point out here that my sister was the one to notice, and bring to my attention, my typo. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate it, and I would have done the same for her. But suffice it to say, we are a little bit anal.
Where in NY do I live? lol. For those of you who don't know me well, I am able to live in the West Village thanks to the magnanimity of my sister, who makes much more than I do. Without her, I would not be comfortable being a bum for very long.
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