Monday.

Monday is the compilation of everything I hate in life. Waking up early, being at work, being at work with 4+ days left before another break, mundane coworker weekend talk, people setting up meetings, working on issues that you left hanging when you were in the euphoria of the end of the day on Friday…the list doesn’t end.

The only thing worse than Mondays are Sunday nights. The anxiety of dealing with the upcoming week takes over all mental and physical functions, yet I still have to work up the energy to prepare to go somewhere I don’t want to be at all. It’s cruel, is what it is.

So what’s a girl to do? I have to make a living. And as hard as I’ve prayed for them to stop, these bills keep coming in like clockwork.

I feel like sometimes we have to find ways to maintain our sanity in life until we’re able to break through to the next level. While we’re in the maintaining mode, I believe maximizing joy is of the utmost importance. I purposefully do a lot of fun things for myself on Sunday night. I save up DVRs of my favorite shows for Sunday. I allow myself to stay up as late as I want. I blast my favorite songs while I pack lunch or do laundry. I take a long soak in my bathtub while singing karaoke, and I make sure my apartment is completely clean before Sunday so I can really enjoy the day with minimal work. I spray my sheets with lavender to soothe my senses.I can’t change the fact that my alarm will be going off at 5:15 AM, but I can make every minute up until that moment special.

And there lies the lesson. Something may be ultimately out of your control, but if you keep picking at it, you will find some aspect of it that you can impact. Hold on to that aspect for dear life and make it your own. Make it beautiful.