I Don’t Mind Mondays
And a Few Other Things Most People Dislike
I write a lot about stuff I don’t like. I guess I am a “glass half-empty” person. It has been said that I believe in the power of negative thinking, and anger seems to be the emotion easiest for me to express. As both Popeye and I have said many times, “I yam what I yam.”
However, from time to time I like to change things up, and this post is one of those times. I’m going to riff on a few things I like, and, to satisfy my inner contrarian, these will be things I like that many folks do not.
Mondays
I get why Mondays are so disliked. Many people have a Monday through Friday workweek, and Monday is the most distant day from the next day off. On Monday, Saturday seems so far away. If a poll was taken to name the least favorite day of the week, my guess is Monday would win in a landslide.
But, I don’t mind Mondays.
I suppose that is linked to the fact I no longer work a Monday through Friday job. I don’t see Monday as being the first day of a long workweek. It’s just another day. Just another day I do not have to punch a time clock. Just another day I do not have to listen to some lunkhead complain about the library being noisy. Just another day I do not have to fight slow-moving traffic on the way to work on streets dotted with potholes the size of Volkswagens. Instead, Monday is just another day I can do whatever the hell I want. Why would I hate Mondays?
Despite what The Mamas and The Papas said, Mondays are fine by me.
Monday Monday by The Mamas and The Papas.
Solitude
I know folks who can’t stand being alone. I am not one of those. Don’t get me wrong, I like being with my wife. We spend a lot of time in each other’s presence and I like that. And, I hope she would say the same.
However, I also like those times I can spend with me, myself, and I. I think my wife would agree that if we spent every moment together, it would be way too much of a good thing.
Being able to spend time alone allows me the freedom to burp, fart, pick, scratch, spit, snort, and do whatever other uncouth things occur to me. And, if I want to, I can think about stuff that needs thinking about. If I use my time alone correctly, it can be a good opportunity to refresh my mind.
I think my little brain needs all the refreshing it can get.
I Like It Hot
I live in a place where it gets very hot in the summer, and lots of folks complain about the heat. Not me. I’m not saying I like being out in the yard, sweating my ass off when it’s 110°. Most often, I’ll be in our nice, air-conditioned house, like a sane person.
However, it is very rare that I complain about how hot it is. If I have to choose between being hot or cold, I’ll choose heat every time. I see it this way: I bitch and moan about being cold all winter, so to me, that means I can’t complain about the heat in summer. I have lots of little rules like this which govern my personal behavior.
As I’ve said before, it ain’t easy being me.
Laundry
For those of us who can’t afford to throw our clothes away after wearing them once, laundry is something that has to be done whether we like it or not. I actually don’t mind working on the laundry. I’m not saying I think washing, drying, and folding our clothes is big bunch o’ fun, but I’m all right with doing it.
My wife and I do not rigidly adhere to traditional male/female household roles. There are some things she does, and some things I do, and some things we do as a team. Since half of the clothes in our laundry basket are mine, why shouldn’t I participate in cleaning them?
Yes, doing the laundry is a chore, and the fun quotient is rather low, but I don’t dread it. In fact, if I’m going to be completely honest, I kind of like doing the laundry, for this reason: I take some small measure of accomplishment from getting the laundry done. In my mind, I can goof off the rest of the day if I have worked on the laundry.
Is it weird to admit I like doing our laundry? Maybe it is, but if I cared, I wouldn’t be writing this, now would I?
Profanity
Anyone who has read any of my essays on The Storm. By Norm, can deduce that I am pro-profanity. I try not to be gratuitous about it. I’d like to believe I use my swear words in context, to enhance and emphasize, not to shock or pretend to be a badass.
I know not everyone is pro-profanity, although it seems to be more commonplace and accepted than ever before. Still, I try not to be indiscriminate about it. When I am interacting with a known non-swearer, I’ll respect that and keep my curse words to myself. Also, when commenting on someone else’s Substack, I refrain from using the more colorful aspects of my vocabulary, unless that Substacker has already sworn first in the post.
Here on The Storm. By Norm, however, I’ll use whatever fucking words I feel like using. 😉
Kale
Here’s something that is rarely done, I going to spend a few words writing in praise of kale, for reasons other than health. I think kale gets a bad rap. Due to its high density of nutrients, kale is considered to be a superfood. But, alas, a lot folks do not like the taste or texture of kale.
However, I like kale just fine. The main way I consume kale is in place of lettuce on a sandwich. You see, we often buy kale when our tortoise, Lily, is out and about. It is one of her favorite foods. So, we’ll have it on hand for her, and, if I’m in the mood for a sandwich other than peanut butter, I’ll grab a piece of Lily’s kale to add an extra bit of flavor and texture to a run-of-the-mill turkey sandwich. Regular lettuce is just kind of blah, you know?
I also like that Lily and I can share something. I’m aware of how silly that sounds, but so what?
Doing the Same Thing Over and Over
Some folks get bored out of their minds having to do the same thing over and over and over. Not me. I never worked on an assembly line, but I often thought it would be a good job for me. I like having routines to follow. I like being able to put my brain on autopilot so that I can accomplish whatever task is in front of me, while my mind wanders the wide open universe in search of something more interesting.
I guess I tend to gravitate more towards the known than the unknown, which is not all that conducive to leading a life full of exciting new experiences. Intellectually, I do believe in the importance of variety in one’s life and I know that clinging to the comfortable instead of seeking the exciting, tends to inhibit one from becoming a well-rounded human being. On the other hand, emotionally, I’m invariably drawn to the comfortably familiar.
One could say I seek to be comfortably numb.
Comfortably Numb as performed by David Gilmour.
In Conclusion
So that was my periodic attempt at doing something other than an angry rant about whatever is pissing me off in the moment. I find these types essays more of a challenge to create, but it is probably good for my readers to know I’m not angry and bitter all the time. I’m sure this type of essay is good for me once in a while, too.
Kind of like eating kale. Or doing the laundry by myself on a beautiful, unseasonably warm Monday morning.
Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac.
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Do you have something to say about I Don’t Mind Mondays? Well, then . . .
Hi Norm,
I think you're right. Dreading Mondays is directly related to the work week. If I was retired I'm sure I'd feel better about Mondays too.
Most people have a routine, so you're in good company. Being a dog owner requires you to love routines. Dogs hate when you change things up, especially their schedule.
I like the you and Lily share kale. Eating together is bonding.
Enjoy your hot weather.