Friday, May 22, 2015

Every Day a Friday

Erma Bombeck is one of my favorite authors.  Sadly, she is no longer with us after a battle with cancer, but her books still linger in me.  She wrote, "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?" and other such lovely, funny books about motherhood and it's craziness.  It was life before pantyhose and microwaves that defrost and she made it hilarious!

In one book, Erma wrote a story about being in church with her husband and three children.  Everyone wearing their starched best and displaying their best manners and showing the appropriate amount of reverence.  Then the baby on the third pew decides to look over her mother's shoulder and coo and laugh at the crowd behind her!  What a cutie! Of course, some of the parishioners looked dismayed.  Misbehavior!  In church!  Where God is!  


But Erma said something I will never forget.

She said, and I am free-wheeling with her words here:  

"Babies don't schedule happiness. They haven't learned yet that happiness must last a lifetime and therefore must be conserved."

You know you are feeling it....the anticipation of Friday. We save our best selves for Friday.  We feel chipper on Friday.  Friday gets special attention. We tend to be more jovial and friendly with others.  We aren't easily kerfuffled and we are more forgiving on this glorious day of the week.  In fact, there is a kind of heroic feel to Friday....like we can do anything and we are above the fray and we are free.

BONUS:  This particular weekend is not only Friday, but it is a three-day weekend and at my place of employment, it is also payday.  This is like the Trifecta of Perfect Fridays. Add blue jeans and BAM!

I was just wondering.....

How would it change life if you approached every single day like it was Friday?

It is worthy of introspection.  Why do we save our best attitudes, our forgiving spirits, our plans for fun, until that one day of the week?  Do we really have to make an appointment on our calendar for this, or can we live that way daily?  Happiness scheduled for June 2, 2016 from 4-5p.m.  It sounds silly but we all do it.  We constantly put off things and people that are important to us.  Like the story about the baby in church, we live as if we have a limited amount of happiness allotted to us.  Good news!  Happiness is unlimited!

It's just a thought but those other six days of the week have value too.  We don't have to wait.  And if we string enough of those days together, we just might make a life worth living!