I started writing this pre-COVID not knowing what 2020 had in store. So, I finally added more thoughts in late July 2020 hoping that this would once again be relevant. Who knew we'd get to 2022 finally emerging from the fog? Is this still relevant? I don't care. I owe it to myself to post.
Admit it. Friday is your favorite day of the work week. As we cope with getting through another series of work days, we look at each day as the rungs on the ladder to Friday. It's how we get through things, right? Countless songs have been written about our quest to reach the "working for the weekend" stage of the week. I bet I just put a number of ear worms in your head just now. You're welcome! For those of you with 4-day work weeks, I give you one minute to gloat.
Every week day seems to have its own nickname, its own brand, except Tuesday. Monday is as unpopular as days get (absent holidays that afford us a 3-dayer), but you can't deny that the day draws quite the emotion. It's dreaded (unless it's a holiday); it's talked about and cursed at; it's a reminder of deadlines put off or the long slog ahead. But it's also a new start with Friday as the reward, so it's time to get going and make this Monday go as fast as possible. It takes a while to ramp up but, once you're in the water, you might as well swim.
Skipping Tuesday for now because, quite frankly, it's Tuesday, so let's move on. Wednesday is the first sign of daylight after the dark. It's even had a mascot for a while – a CGI camel going around an office asking workers if they knew what day it was. Yep, "it's hump day!" The idiomatic 'getting over the hump' is depicted by a creature that happens to have ... a hump. I get it. Ugh. It's there to celebrate the arrival of the middle of the week and to remind us of how annoyingly tired that phrase really gets. But it gives us hope, right? I mean, it's the first awakening of the week. Or it's just gaslighting.
Now, Thursday has finally had its own coming out party over the last few years. Long in the shadows of the gargantuan personality of 'King Friday,' Thursday has embraced its understudy role and become pre-Friday in many office circles. For those 4-day-work-week folks, it's the end of the week ... and many people hate you for that. OK, they're just jealous. But with throwback pictures and NFL games to look forward to that evening, Thursday has really made a comfortable home in the worker psyche. It's an appetizer of sorts.
Of course, Friday is THE day. It lets you raise up your arms, toss those papers into the air and say, "I'm done with this week!" Once you navigate the mandatory small talk from co-workers that always starts with: "got any big plans for the weekend?" you're free to go. By the way, you should have a quick canned answer for that. Don't dawdle through your wish list of activities or all the impending family commitments you're not that excited about. Say you're just going to relax and get out of that trap as fast as you can. You're going to be asked again next Friday anyway so you might as well bank some of those answers. Remember, you still have to politely ask "how 'bout you?" So, feel free to turn your back, kick the past week with your heel like you're slamming a filing cabinet shut and step away from the day. It's Friday for goodness' sake; time to go sit in some traffic. It's not like you were doing much productive work this day anyway.
So that leaves poor ol' Tuesday. Sure, radio DJ's have long held 'two-for' Tuesday double plays and, thanks to T-Mobile and tacos, the day does have a sort of pop-culture jam going. But when it comes to the work week, Tuesday is your plate of unseasoned grits, poi, plain white bread. There's no cute nickname for it. It's the understudy's understudy. It's the right fielder of work days; the cleanup crew for Monday's crumbs. Tuesday needs some love.*
So all the glory goes to Friday because it tees up that wonderful weekend ahead. It's time to look forward to Saturday and all the chores you've got lined up and all the commitments you've made that will make you more tired than the work week you just jettisoned into the cosmos. Well, there's always Sunday, right? The day of rest will be best, I hear. But I'll bet that by 3pm though, you're already thinking about Monday. Happy work week everyone!
*Tuesday finally had its day in 2022. On the second of February at 22:22:22 hours, a moment in time never to be repeated happened 2/22/22 22:22:22. Congratulations, Tuesday! Now get out of the way.
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