Monday Mantra

 Have you seen the Instagram reels where the interviewer is asking people what their "corporate ick" is? If you haven't, you should definitely look it up if you work in a corporate role, because I guarantee you'll hear something that your boss or coworkers says. One of my corporate icks is "Happy Monday!", yet I find myself saying it on calls (maybe just to be a smart ass, I'm not sure yet). 

But something hit me this morning after I dropped Jaxon and Micah off at school (a minute late, which for us on a Monday is pretty darn good). The quiet in the car, the deep breath I could take, knowing all four of my bear cubs were at school and I wasn't going to be the circus coordinator for the next six hours brought me a little slice of peace this morning. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the soccer mom weekends and spending time with my kids, but as an introverted enneagram two, I also struggle with noise and people overload, so this Monday morning, I was reminded of how much that silence matters to my peace of mind. 

A couple of things come to mind when I think about how Monday mornings hit a little differently these days. First, Monday mornings used to be so rough. I'd inevitably drink too much on a Sunday night for many years past, because I wanted to avoid waking up and working in a job I hated, so I'd instead just use my coping mechanism of making everything disappear for the moment, only to wake up hungover and dreading every step I had to take to survive the day. Which, of course, started with the morning battles of getting Jaxon out of bed, making sure Micah eats something and doesn't forget his water, and listening to whether or not Lucas and Rylee are fighting over the car or after school plans or who's making who late that day. Those battles still look pretty similar, but I can handle them all with a sense of "at least I'm not hungover" that I didn't have before. So that's nice. 

Secondly, my approach to work, although I still don't love my job, is shifting. My perspective and attitude (thanks to some tips from a friend) is slowly adjusting to where I may not love the tasks or the people I work with every single day, I'm thankful that my job gives me the flexibility to show up for my kids, and to work from home, and to still earn a paycheck and contribute to my household expenses. And this isn't forever, right? I may learn that this job is exactly what I need, or I may decide in a year to pursue something different. But for now, I'm at peace with my job and I am grateful to have it on a Monday. 

So on this Monday, I'm grateful for the pockets of quiet in my day, where no one is asking what we're doing later or what's for dinner or can I make his brother stop picking on him or breathing his air. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work for a company that makes positive changes for its clients, and I'm grateful for the new things I am learning in this role. I am especially grateful that my job allows me the flexibility to show up for kids' games and go on field trips with the boys, and do all of the little things that I probably take for granted and would be so upset to miss if I worked in an office from 9-5. 

My Monday mantra has shifted from "holy hell, how am I going to survive this day" to "grateful" for what Mondays bring.