Posted by Serenity in trying new things | 6 Comments
Monday Needs More Elbows
It’s Sunday night, and I’m looking back again on a weekend that was all the things I love most – family, laughter, too much eating out, and all the time in the world to read and write.
And so I’m okay with the week ahead, the five days that earn the sixth and seventh, the ones I run through like the hare, toward a destination – instead of like the tortoise with time to watch the view. And because I’ve just watched the Truman Show in which a man discovers that if he breaks routine even the tiniest bit, all that’s false around him falls apart and only the real remains, I’m thinking about breaking routine too.
Maybe I will eat lunch with my sister this week. She drove five hours to be near us all. Surely a long lunch won’t take too much away from my race toward the weekend. Maybe I will take a walk instead of just saying I should. Maybe I’ll eat cereal for supper.
Last week I went to a concert with Jake’s preschool class. When I got there, they were singing Lean On Me. I love the sentiment of the song. I thrill to it. And now I thrilled to the brilliant echoes the song leader had designed for children. For, he sang. (FIVE, the children yelled). It won’t be long (SHORT!) til I’m gonna need (ELBOW!) somebody to lean on.
“Because need sounds kind of like knee“, he told them to explain that last one. Not that they cared. They probably would have yelled out persimmons if he had asked them to. And even if they hadn’t been singing such a delightful song, even if I hadn’t gotten a picture of them leaning on each other or if I hadn’t marveled at the singer’s ability to draw them in, I was so glad to be there. So glad to be shouting five instead of four for once and short instead of long. Monday through Friday needs more of that. It needs more elbows and more Lean on Me and more I wasn’t supposed to be here but I am.
I just want to make sure I’m not living asleep Monday through Friday when breaking routine, even once, could be just the jarring I need to wake up.
Thank you for the perfect piece to read while I’m drinking my Monday morning coffee before going into class to try and explain what iambic pentameter, trochee, soliloquy & all those other work day things that are here again. Love the “Lean On Me” song! Brilliant!
I’m thinking of making it my ministry to be there for people on Mondays. Because I have succumbed so often to the cliche of their awfulness myself. :) And your comment was a lovely start to my day as well. It’s so nice to be connected.
My elbows went up when I read this =), with a sort of “back off get out my way Monday, I’m going to enjoy you whether you like it or not” feeling to it…..
I love Lean On Me, I think I didn’t realize until just now that this has been my mantra all along. If I can help someone, I will.
Loved this post Seren.
It was awhile back that I realized how much of my life I would be missing if I spent all of my Mondays through Thursdays just trying to make it to Friday. I had to make it intentional, but I decided to enjoy my WHOLE week…. to actually be GRATEFUL for each day, not to just “endure” the days. I love your idea of breaking routine. What a PERFECT way to add a little spice to the days! I’m up for the challenge. Here’s to creativity in the breaking of routine!!!
Yep, that’s my deal. It would be so awful to only live for the weekends. So far this week I picked lilacs and brought them inside, and Jake and I bought a cake in the middle of the day for no reason. “It’s not a birthday,” he said. “Just a snack.” I’m kicking routine’s butt this week.
Here here! What a wonderful sentiment and so true. THis is what needs to be taught along side of reading and writing and arithemtic I say. It is easy to say sop and smell the roses, but it is another entirely to stop and truly cherish the journey and not only focus on the destination. Thanks for this.