Monday, Monday

It's Monday again.  It's a day that, I feel, gets a bad rap from the world in general.  Sure, it's the start of the work-week, the school-week, the back-to-the-grind day that signals an end to weekend fun and relaxation and pure unscheduled time.  Back to the routine, the rush, the stress and strain and have-to-be-there-at-a-certain-time tension.  And we all dread that, right?

There's another side to it, though, if you want to see it.  Monday may be back to work, but it's also a new beginning.  When things haven't been going well in my life - whether I'm struggling to eat right, slacking on my gym time, feeling less than productive, or there's extra tension around my house - I adore Mondays, because they feel like a whole new chance to start fresh and get it right.  It's like a miniature New Year's Day for me.  Maybe, if we all made Monday resolutions instead of New Year's Resolutions, we'd have a better chance at doing whatever it is we want so badly to do each year - lose weight, pay off debt, get fit, find love, be better parents, you name it.  If we took it in manageable, week-long bites, maybe it wouldn't seem do daunting, or so crushing when we slip up.  So I ate that cupcake - Monday's a new week!  I didn't lose my 2 pounds this week, or I even gained?  Well, I'll start fresh Monday.  I don't have to wait for next year. 

This could be misused, of course.  It's Friday, and I don't want to be the only one not drinking at the party tomorrow night, so what the heck, I'll take the weekend off.  I can start again Monday, right?  That part's up to you, and it's down to how badly you want whatever it might be.  But for me, Monday feels like a motivator.  New week, new chance, new perspective.

I had a rough weekend.  Actually, I've had a rough few months, but the weekend was bad in a new sort of way.  It's thrown me off balance and I'm struggling with even staying focused and functional, let alone motivated and self-disciplined.  But, because it's Monday, I know that (a) the weekend is over, with all its bad connotations; and (b) this is my chance to commit to a course of action that will keep me strong, healthy, energetic and focused.  So I'm making a commitment to do that, for one week.  I can do anything for one week, right?  :-)

Happy Monday!