An Ode to Mondays

Thank God it's Monday.  No really, I love Mondays.  Several years ago I took my first job in a restaurant.  It was a huge transition from the Monday through Friday hamster wheel I was accustomed to.  The schedule varied wildly from week to week as well as my income.  Working every weekend and holiday was a major adjustment as well.  But when the going gets tough, the tough get going: I was tough.

Fairly early on, I had come to a realization.  I needed a day off to get caught up around the house, and more importantly spend time with my friends.  Since most of my friends were in the service industry as well, most weekends were impossible for us to have off.  So, after a small deliberation, we settled on Mondays.  They were typically slower days at the restaurant, so it was easier for us to request off each week.  Dinners, happy hours, movie marathons, yoga, coffee, and as much Sex in the City as we could possibly absorb; these were the hallmarks of our Mondays.  

While everyone around us despised and dreaded this day, we celebrated, indulged and delighted in it. It was the perfect day to do absolutely nothing but sit around with a nice glass of wine and catch up with the best friends a girl could ask for.  

A couple years have gone by and the Monday fun has continued right along with the passing of time.  I'm still in the service industry and my Mondays are as sacred to me now as they have always been.  Even though I have recently moved a thousand miles away from my friends in Nashville, I still feel that connection to them whenever Monday rolls around. 

I sit here today with my coffee (of course) and remember the great Mondays of the past.  I am quite sentimental, so even though I do not have my friends nearby, I have continued the tradition of preserving my Mondays as my much anticipated day off.  

This past weekend was much longer than normal for me.  I typically do not work on Sundays as well as Mondays, but I decided to help someone out who needed it off.  So I picked up his Sunday night shift.  It was slow, hot and windy.  The entire night I had one mantra that got me through: Monday, Monday...La La La La Laaa, Monday, Monday.  

I peered across my bar top to the tiki hut where my fellow bartender was struggling to pour, count cash, catch flying napkins and entertain guests amidst the fierce and relentless wind.  If you recall my post from earlier in the week, Mama Said Mama Said,  I spoke of an epic bad day behind the bar: battling extreme wind that forced the keg handles to release beer all over... everywhere.  Well, it happened again last night, and I could hardly contain myself. 

This morning, I am relieved.  I feel the wave of Monday wash over me and along with it, the momentary sense of calm relaxation and happiness. 

I love Mondays.  However, I'm sure in time, I won't always be able to enjoy this day of the week as I have over the past few years.  Circumstances will change.  Schedules and work opportunities will present a revised outlook on the day.  Even still, I am sure of one thing, no one can ever take away my Mondays.  Mondays are nostalgic and represent one of the most cherished aspects of my life: time spent with true friends.  

To my friends in Nashville.  My heart is with you today, and every Monday.  Have a Margarona Monday (rocks and salt of course) ya'll. 

Today:

Margarona AKA Coronarita

1 oz tequila 

1/2 oz triple sec

Sour mix

Tip a mini corona bottle upside-down 

and immerse into the margarita.  Enjoy!