Mondays are Good for Music and Writing

There’s no way else to put it, Monday’s are a bitch. I can say with absolute sincerity that I can’t remember the last time I woke up on a Monday morning without having butterflies in my stomach because of the dread I feel toward going into the office (I’m sure it was whenever the last 3 day weekend was). I swear, there must be some super duper magical force that gives me enough strength to get out of bed knowing I’m going to the office, because the fact that I’m able to do it 5 days a week is a minor miracle. The scary thing is that the more I write and pursue other outlets for my energy, the harder it is to accept working in this black and white job. I want to make it clear that I know there are many of you who probably have it so much harder than me it’s not even funny. I feel for you, but hey, pain is relative, and I can only take care of myself….and my wife….and my dog, but that’s it. Your humble author has his hands full keeping his own life full of positive energy. Go trick or treat somewhere else because my “house” is all out of “candy.” Using that analogy, if I was actually a house, and someone did stop by for candy, I’d be the old grumpy guy that gives out toothpaste or raisins instead of candy. I always hated that guy…..

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. On most days I’m fortunate enough to have at least a few hours to write. A nice result of my transition back to sales is free time. I can’t actually start fulfilling my new responsibilities until we hire a sales manager to backfill for me, and in the meantime most of my sales management work has gone away, so I’m lucky to have a little time on my hands while I’m in the office. It's odd, as soon as I told the team I would no longer be their leader, all the questions and issues that they used to bring to me magically disappeared. Huh. You don’t say. You mean, these grown adults, armed with college degrees, can actually figure things out on their own? Really? All by themselves? Somebody get a hold of Guinness right this very minute. We must be setting some sort of world record here. In all seriousness, the fact that they always came to me with questions clearly speaks to a lack in management skills on my part. Apparently, I was giving them too much fish and not teaching them how to fish. No wonder the office stinks. Too much seafood. Bada bing! Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week.

Back to something with a little more substance. Hopefully I haven’t driven you all away due to my sophomoric humor. One thing I can always count on to raise my spirits is music. Thank the universe for music. Without it, I would probably be locked in a padded room, eating lots of apple sauce and taking the little bus on daily field trips. Reggae has always been particularly soothing to my soul when I feel out of sorts, Bob Marley being my preferred artist. Bob’s intelligent, soulful music has been part of my life since I was 11 or 12. He has a way of singing about extremely serious subjects, while providing a voice that makes me feel comfortable. Whether it be his early Dance Hall influenced tunes like “One Cup of Coffee” and “Judge Not” or his later, more spiritually charged work like “Natural Mystic” and “Jump Nyabinghi”, I can actually feel his presence through every song. It’s a beautiful feeling and something that has put me at ease during numerous difficult times. Recently, it’s been getting me through many a long morning in my cube. So at least I've got that goin' for me.

I could, and likely will, devote an entire post to music, but that will have to be another time. Right now, I need to open up a spreadsheet, look busy, and stare at it until I can get out of Dodge.


Cheerio,
TWF