Ah, Friday. The day we eagerly anticipate all week, only to have it slap us in the face with a series of unfortunate events. That’s exactly how my Friday went down. It was like the universe decided to test my resilience right before I could kick back and relax. But fear not, dear readers, because even the worst Fridays can be salvaged! Let me walk you through my rollercoaster of a day and how I managed to turn it around.
It all started at 4 AM. My lingering cough, a souvenir from whatever plague I recently battled, decided to throw a party in my chest. To avoid completely evicting Dave from our bed, I retreated to the living room, where I spent the next few hours battling rogue coughs and contemplating the meaning of life (as one does at 4 AM).
Around 6:30 AM, I bravely returned to bed, only to be met with the dreaded “moving conversation.” Now, my husband is a wonderful man, but he’s also a champion procrastinator. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that now all the projects I’ve been suggesting since I started regaining my mobility have become urgent, putting my website improvements on the backburner indefinitely.
The conversation took a turn when Dave made a comment that made me feel like he viewed my blog as a mere “cute hobby.” Cue the internal rage! This blog isn’t just a pastime; it’s my voice, my passion, my creative outlet! It felt like my dreams were being trivialized, and that’s a feeling I don’t take lightly.
So, what did I do? First, I called my bestie, Jenn, for a good old-fashioned rant session. Then, I did what any self-respecting writer would do: I crafted a carefully worded message to Dave, outlining exactly why I was feeling undervalued.
And here’s the magic: he actually *read* it. He came to find me, explained his actual intent, and we had a real conversation. We rarely fight, and disagreements typically can be ended by a later discussion. Maybe I’m making it sound easy, and I do understand it’s not, but having real conversations when you disagree instead of figuring out who to blame makes a world of difference in maintaining a positive relationship. It also helps to have a bestie who talks you off the ledge, as well as being lucky with who you chose to marry (wink).
Back to my day, already in progress. It took me three tries to boot up my computer, so it didn’t start out well. My workday was a comedy of errors. I received a document as five separate JPEG files (who does that?!), converted them into a single PDF, only to be told it was the *wrong* document and I needed to repeat the process with a new set of JPEGs. My computer decided to join the fun by crashing multiple times. And did I mention it was my last day of part-time? Sigh.
By the time I logged off, I was ready to throw my computer out the window. Thankfully, Dave was starving, so I went to pickup dinner, snapchatting my cousin while I waited and sipped on maple whiskey. It was just the release I needed, and dinner was delish.
The rest of the weekend was dedicated to turning things around. I got my passport renewed, enjoyed a visit with Samantha, and had a quiet evening with Dave. Sunday was a lazy day spent under the awning with coffee, music, and good conversation.
I even managed to coordinate the transport of our beloved dog, Albus, to Saba, where Dave is currently working. Our friend Jason volunteered to fly Albus over, which is a huge relief, or will be once it’s firm.
As the weekend drew to a close, I savored every last moment of relaxation. Because starting Monday, it was back to full-time work. Through this whole injury and recovery process, I learned that I really do prefer to work part-time. Unfortunately I have bills and things, which require me to have the income of full-time work. So there’s the rub.
Bad days happen. But they don’t have to define your weekend, or your life. With a little communication, a dash of maple whiskey, and a whole lot of self-care, you can turn even the worst Friday into a stepping stone towards a better tomorrow.
What about you? How do you turn around a bad start to the weekend? Share your tips in the comments below!