I've been around over 3,100 weeks in my life and have noticed each day of the week causes a different feeling. So do the four seasons, but that's much easier to capture since each leaves ample time to reflect upon. Each day comes and goes by so fast that the feelings can seem to blur together. So I've taken some time to reflect on how each day feels to me, which I present here. I’m sure your list would be completely different.
Monday - Anticipation - I don't dread Monday's like many folks. I truly enjoy my job and the variety of challenges it brings. I've caught up on sleep over the weekend and dismissing the alarm at 6:30 a.m. isn't feared, even if a few more Z’s would be nice. It's an exciting Anticipation of what challenges will be tackled this week, what new cool technology will be announced and what incremental improvements will be had.
Monday - Anticipation - I don't dread Monday's like many folks. I truly enjoy my job and the variety of challenges it brings. I've caught up on sleep over the weekend and dismissing the alarm at 6:30 a.m. isn't feared, even if a few more Z’s would be nice. It's an exciting Anticipation of what challenges will be tackled this week, what new cool technology will be announced and what incremental improvements will be had.
Tuesday - Hunker Down - Four more days to go and the first one was a lot of work. I feel I have the energy for one, maybe two more days at this pace. The 6:30 a.m. alarm was annoying and not appreciated. It's time to Hunker Down, take a deep breath, let out a sigh and start to pace myself for the rest of the week.
Wednesday - Shock - By noon on Hump Day we're half way through the work week, at least the calendar says, so why does it feel that far less than half the work is done? Why do I feel that tomorrow must be Friday? The Shock and sullen feeling when I realize tomorrow is really Thursday is deeply depressing.
Thursday - Shifting - Sometime on Thursday I make a mental Shift from the darkness of pure work mode to the light at the end of the tunnel that is the weekend. Spirits improve, energy starts coming back and I begin to look forward to the more positive feelings that will happen over the next three days. While Wednesday is Hump Day, Thursday is my Hurdle Day, and I begin the downward mental trek to weekend mode.
Friday - Closeness - Friday night is usually spent with my wife talking about the week completed and the weekend ahead while having a casual dinner out and a couple good draft beers. While our jobs naturally take us apart from each other during the week, most of the weekend will be spent together, and it sparks a wonderful feeling of Closeness that I enjoy immensely.
Saturday - Accomplishment - The morning starts enjoying leisurely couple cups of coffee, catching up on the news and prioritizing the weekend’s tasks. Then five or six hours of mowing, shopping, cleaning and whatever else is on the to-do list. By the time five o'clock comes around, I'm feeling Accomplished and satisfied.
Sunday - Calm - A morning run, church services, football games and a great dinner lead to the feeling that today was a Calm day, ignoring the upcoming work week ahead. It's also "Fine Wine Sunday" and a couple glasses of excellent red wine enhances the Calm. In the warmer times of the year that wine is sipped on the backyard patio over good conversation, and perhaps a cigar.
I expect Retirement will disrupt my familiar pattern. I won't miss Hunker Down and Shock in the least, although I suspect that feeling will be there on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s for at least a few months. I suspect that Accomplishment and Calm will lose some of their meaning as they will not be as special as they are now. I hope Closeness pervades each and every day. But more than anything, I think a new pattern and a new set of emotions will emerge. Sometime around 2020 expect a follow up blog with how it's turning out. That Anticipation has me Excited!
Wednesday - Shock - By noon on Hump Day we're half way through the work week, at least the calendar says, so why does it feel that far less than half the work is done? Why do I feel that tomorrow must be Friday? The Shock and sullen feeling when I realize tomorrow is really Thursday is deeply depressing.
Thursday - Shifting - Sometime on Thursday I make a mental Shift from the darkness of pure work mode to the light at the end of the tunnel that is the weekend. Spirits improve, energy starts coming back and I begin to look forward to the more positive feelings that will happen over the next three days. While Wednesday is Hump Day, Thursday is my Hurdle Day, and I begin the downward mental trek to weekend mode.
Friday - Closeness - Friday night is usually spent with my wife talking about the week completed and the weekend ahead while having a casual dinner out and a couple good draft beers. While our jobs naturally take us apart from each other during the week, most of the weekend will be spent together, and it sparks a wonderful feeling of Closeness that I enjoy immensely.
Saturday - Accomplishment - The morning starts enjoying leisurely couple cups of coffee, catching up on the news and prioritizing the weekend’s tasks. Then five or six hours of mowing, shopping, cleaning and whatever else is on the to-do list. By the time five o'clock comes around, I'm feeling Accomplished and satisfied.
Sunday - Calm - A morning run, church services, football games and a great dinner lead to the feeling that today was a Calm day, ignoring the upcoming work week ahead. It's also "Fine Wine Sunday" and a couple glasses of excellent red wine enhances the Calm. In the warmer times of the year that wine is sipped on the backyard patio over good conversation, and perhaps a cigar.
I expect Retirement will disrupt my familiar pattern. I won't miss Hunker Down and Shock in the least, although I suspect that feeling will be there on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s for at least a few months. I suspect that Accomplishment and Calm will lose some of their meaning as they will not be as special as they are now. I hope Closeness pervades each and every day. But more than anything, I think a new pattern and a new set of emotions will emerge. Sometime around 2020 expect a follow up blog with how it's turning out. That Anticipation has me Excited!
