Embrace Monday Morning

I went back to work today. I went back after a five-day weekend or mini-vacation or whatever you would like to call it. The trip had a little more travel than I would have liked for such a short timeframe. But it still worked out to be extremely relaxing. My wife and I traveled to the lovely and previously unexplored (by us) Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I was surprised by the beauty. We went for a few hikes and did a little camping. We kayaked near some of the more popular sights in the area, which was a great experience. We enjoyed some time with my sister and brother-in-law. We took this trip to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Basically, we did whatever we wanted for a few days, including relaxing at a beach while grilling steaks and drinking beers. It was a great trip, if just a little too short.

After the trip came to an end, the exhaustion set in—and it was worth it, without question and without doubt. Sometimes that exhaustion is in itself a form of relaxation, or at the very least will lead to it. We had mosquito bites that numbered in the hundreds between the two of us. We hadn’t eaten enough, and hadn’t had enough water to be considered well-hydrated. We were tired, and I then I had to go back to work. After spending a handful of days enjoying freedom, I was now back in self- induced imprisonment, caged in by cubicles and emails. I went from walking amongst the tall pine trees to sitting amongst the printer and copy machines. Those ever- closing walls felt like they were moving towards me a little bit quicker today. I spent five days doing what I pleased, unbound by meeting times and due dates. Today I was trapped by the work that I missed while I was busy not thinking about that work. Today, I was bored, but not the good kind of bored (and that does exist). I was bored because I was stuck in my cube with nary a ray of sunlight. Bored by the never-ending flow of communications that I am supposed to read and respond to.

Over the previous few days, I was the good kind of bored. Sitting there, staring at the water with nothing to fill my time. I had no calls and no work to do. I was forced to relax and unwind. We should have that forced upon us far more often. This should be a common occurrence. As we know, it is good for the soul.

At previous points in my life, I would have focused strictly on the negatives listed above. These damn cubicle walls and this damn computer. I would have immediately dropped to a new low in attitude as soon as I walked through the doors. I would have instantly let those good memories from just hours before escape from my mind to make room for negative thoughts. The positives of the trip—which far outweigh the negatives of being back at work—would not have entered my mind. Sad but true. There would have been a high likelihood of me wasting some of the time off by focusing on the impending doom of what we call Monday morning. You can forget about enjoying Sunday. The thought of that Sunday flight, in the back of my twenty-something brain, could have even crept over and touched the joy of Saturday with its dirty, sticky hands. You can see how easily each day would have impacted the one before it, which is a weird, cruel trick we play on ourselves.

Now, I still know that Monday morning is coming, but I am ok with it. I did not let that unexplainable feeling of dread impact my Sunday. I was also fully aware, on Saturday, that we would be traveling back home the following day. No impact that I could feel. I am not sure if that was a conscious effort not to let those thoughts creep into my mind, if that is even possible. Perhaps it is a more natural and instinctual occurrence as you get older. Those nice and relaxing times get fewer and further between. There are less of them waiting for you to enjoy. This long weekend, I focused on the positives of the situation versus the negatives. Instead of focusing on the feeling of being trapped on Monday, I focused on the complete freedom I was experiencing on the several days prior. I appreciated the fact that no real schedule existed or that there were no phone calls to make. I felt the opposite of imprisoned on this trip, and I appreciated each second of it. I realize now how time off, especially time like this, makes you appreciate your overall use of time. True gratitude is a difficult thing to attain. But enjoying your time with friends and family can get you there, to being grateful.

Happiness can be achieved when you realize the importance of seemingly polar opposite situations. When moments make you feel trapped and bored and thinking about a major life change, embrace them, and contemplate their meaning. That embracing and deliberating will make you that much more thankful about the coming good times. Yes, those good times are coming, they always do. The good makes it all worth it, even sitting in a cubicle on that Monday morning. And when those good times do show their face, look them in the eye. Talk to them and debate them. Hug them, laugh with them. Remember their names and their faces. Make friends with them. When you get back to that desk on Monday morning, whisper their names to yourself and you will be reminded of a better time. You will not miss them, but instead look forward to that next time you get to see their sweet, free faces.

-Houston Bailey (@BumpBailey)