What crosses your mind when you hear someone say, “Thank God it’s Friday” (TGIF)? First, the odds are six to one that today is not Friday. If it is, did you thank God? If it is not, will you be giving thanks when Friday comes around?
To those who subscribe to TGIF as I once did, I especially want to talk to you. I pause when I hear people say, “Thank God it’s Friday.” It makes me wonder if those who TGIF also thank God for any other day of the week. If you don’t thank God for any other day, ask yourself why not. I asked a friend this same question and he accused me of being too literal. “It’s just something I say when Friday comes around. It is a way of expressing a sigh of relief that the workweek is almost over and that the weekend is here. It is about Happy Hour! It is Time to party!”
“That’s all well and good,” I replied. “But is it just something you say that has no meaning, or do you mean what you say”?
In other words, are the thanks you give God a sincere expression of gratitude or just something to say? I believe that words matter. When you say “Thank God it’s Friday,” are you giving thanks that it’s Friday, or are you giving thanks that you are alive on Friday? “Both,” you say?
OK, that makes sense because Friday would have no meaning if you were not alive to experience “Being.” Then, let me ask you: What about Mondays? How do you feel “Being” alive on Mondays? “I hate Mondays.” “Oh God, not another Monday!” Do these laments sound familiar to you? You may have uttered them yourself. I have. Other laments are censurable, outright indecent, and not suitable for print. You too probably know what they are.
Think about it for a moment. Just two days prior, you may have given thanks to God that it was Friday. So what is wrong with this picture? TGIF has become a national chant, just as “I hate Mondays” has become a national lament.
Sadly, I run into people who actually have bad Mondays for no reason other than it is Monday. I am reasonably sure that these same people have had bad Fridays too. The truth is, just as bad things happen to good people, so do bad things happen on days we celebrate, like birthdays, holidays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, and yes, on Fridays.
In other words, any Time is the perfect time for good things or bad things to happen. It is just Life and it happens all the time any Time.
Fortunately, the so-called Ordinary days vastly outnumber the days we celebrate, and so more times than not, good things and bad things will happen on ordinary days. I say “so-called” Ordinary days because I do not believe there is actually such a thing. A day is a reference to a period of time, and Time just is. Time is attributable to nothing.
So, don’t just wait around for a particular day or numerical Time to celebrate Life. Celebrate life as you live it—right here, right now. “Be” mindful that if something good has happened or is going on in your life right now, let that be the icing on your cake.
What about Tuesday? Well, Tuesday for many is just one of those ordinary days. Its dawning does not incite emotions one way or the other. Tuesday is typically silent and almost anonymous. It tiptoes quietly by as it sneaks up on Wednesday. So, what is it with Wednesday? For most of us, it is the middle of the workweek. We like Wednesday so much we have given it a nickname: “Hump Day.” It signals you have reached the summit of the workweek and that you’re on the descent to Friday. For me, I can only imagine sitting atop a Camel’s back and looking out into the horizon and hoping that what I am seeing is not a mirage but, in reality, Friday. Think about it: Wednesday is the only day of the week with a nickname. Perhaps it is fitting that we also thank God it is Wednesday (TGIW), what do you think? By the way, Latinos like Wednesdays too and have their own nickname. It’s called “El Ombligo de la semana”: The Navel or “Bellybutton” of the week.
Then, over the Hump and upon our descent, we step into Thursday. Thursday is like Tuesday except it is a day of anticipation and we like it more. So much more that I think Thursday should get a nickname too. What do you think about this one: “One more day”? I hear it almost every Thursday in the office. Yes, Thursday is the “One more day” day. Do you like this nickname? It is what you hear on Thursday mornings at the work place or at the office. “One more day. I can’t wait.” It is the fourth day into the Camel ride toward Friday. It is the “mental rubbernecking” of people trying to get a glimpse of Friday. Thursday is the eve of the “working holiday” that is Friday. Then at first light, the nation chants, “Thank God it’s Friday!” Most of us show up at the office in a relatively good mood, especially if it’s payday, and saying what else? TGIF.
I have never heard anyone complain about having to work on Fridays. Perhaps it is because most of us take it easy while our Minds shift gears and as Time elapses toward five o’clock. Then it is off to “Happy hour” or home for two days of rest and relaxation; at least that is usually the plan.
Most of you know about the famous TGI Fridays restaurants; it was one of our favorites. My daughters and I used to like to go there for the fun and food. By the way, now that I think about it, I do not recall ever going there on a Friday.
All in all, I think it is a good thing to get together to share in the good Times. Most importantly though, I believe that we should use the Life we have, whether it is on Friday or any other day of the week, to celebrate Life as we have it and as we are. Otherwise, I think it is sad to focus on the days of the week ahead of us or even the past, whether positively or negatively, because when we do, we miss the Present Living Moment and all that is going on.
It is so easy to miss this Moment, this Now. It goes by instantaneously.
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