Break Monday

The heat is up and running again. Hell, a day to stay at home, sitting in your fridge... if you fit into it. Finished reading Headhunters by Jo Nesbo, and decided that I want to see the movie after all. That's cool, because once in Costa Rica, I probably won't be able to see any movie that's not American. It's going to be interesting to watch a movie subtitled in Hungarian where I actually have to relay on the subtitles because the language will be entirely weird for me. I walked to my local bookstore, where my last order awaited for me: seven quite interesting books, but as I finished reading Headhunters, I went for Holy Fools by Joanne Harris, since I decided I can't wait a moment longer to know what does my friend Trish like so much about this author.

Today is a peculiar Monday, a type of Monday that will probably cease to exist for me for a while when I go back to the office: A break Monday. It's interesting to think about a Monday this way, but this is what it is. Since the List of 13, as many things are appointed to do weekly, often Saturday and Sunday are spent filling on the tasks that have been left unfulfilled. Monday thus becomes a day when I can review the past week and look ahead of the new. Shouldn't beginings be that way, anyways?

How do we relate to begining? Big impulse, big effort and full speed, charging into the task, focusing. How does your work week start? How does your first day at class or at the office start, say at a new place, a new class or after vacations? Reading the program, trying to catch the train in motion and get in line with the rest. It most likely have worked so far, and it's good, but I have a new suggestion. Take the first day to reflect on the past week. At class or at the office, review for a moment your achievements of the past week. Like a List of 13, review your to-dos. The books or chapters you had to read, or the documents you had to read or review, the homeworks or reports you had to do. Have you done them? How satisfied are you with your work? Have you done any extra work or extra research? For instance, checked out more articles or books on the subject of your class or your job, so that you can be better prepared.

It doesn't have to take you the whole Monday, and it can happen any way you want. You can review these things mentally, or checking your notes, checking on your calendar, your agenda, or making a list through the week, as the tasks appear, and then on Monday  - or any other day that suits you as a "week starter" - take over the list, see what's done, what's still waiting, and prepare the schedule for the rest of the week. But take also a moment to review your week personally, emotionally, and add to your list the things that make you grow as a person. "Me time", time with your friends, time to do the things you enjoy. Time for reading and movies, if you are into that, of knitting and scrapbooking. Take a moment at Monday to review what have you done the past week to make yourself grow, to make yourself happy.

On Monday, as the new week start, remember that life isn't all about work and your responsabilities towards others, isn't about constantly chasing success, but also about making yourself happy, about LIVING, and about your responsabilities towards yourself. If the past week you failed to make yourself happy, don't worry, it's Monday again and you have seven brand new days to do something for yourself, to do something to make yourself happy.

I may not do yoga tonight, but if I wake up late tomorrow, that won't stop me to think about changing my night yoga for a morning try. Black Swan is on HBO, and I want to relax watching it. Who knows? The point isn't in the days and the periodicity, but in the soul... like with the Break and Reflect Mondays.