The working week

Many people long for the weekends, to escape the duties of work. The two-day break is a welcome and long anticipated arrival, normally lasting five days. Thoughts are filled with the previous weekend's enjoyment, time spent with friends, out of the office, away from tiring work. As soon as it reaches Wednesday, minds begin fast-forwarding to the upcoming weekend.

Yes, we all need a deserved rest from time to time, possibly from week to week. It's good for the human body to rest, just as important as it is to physically exert the body. Personally I have always clung to the theory that rest time is during the six or seven hours one spends sleeping through the night. The rest of the day we can work.

We were born to work. Without work there would be no society. We would have no income, no means of supporting our families, no pleasure, purpose or point of existing on earth.

So I wondered if we could just appreciate the five days beginning with Monday and ending with Friday a little more. After all, these are the days in which we earn our money, which makes it possible for us to enjoy a more laid-back weekend. We can skimp on our time during the working week by hanging out, being lazy and taking unnecessary leave. It's possible to go through the five week days so focused on the weekend that we actually miss out on the joys of work.

I love the inspiring quote offered by Theodore Roosevelt: "...the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..."

Yes I can relate to this quote quite vividly during my time working in a warehouse in England. The work was tough and arduous, not pretty, and I literally ended each day with dust, sweat and blood on my face and/or hands. I savoured going in to work to give of my best effort, and I appreciated the payslip a lot more too!

Through the establishing of priorities and the setting and writing down of goals, we can achieve our targets associated with our work, and enjoy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We need not wear long, droopy faces going back in to work on Monday mornings. We were not created to be indolent. I'm sure with a positive attitude, we could all find more meaning in our lives.

As God said to Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground..."

Mondays can be just as good as Fridays; Tuesdays as equally sweet as Sunday afternoons; every day is meaningful when we work hard and enjoy it!