Monday Is Not My Favorite Day

It is another new work week. If I am honest, I must admit that I often have a sense of dread about Monday's. I'm not exactly sure why. Judging from the facial expressions I saw on the elevator this morning, I am not alone. Most of the time work is not an unpleasant experience for me. I am surrounded by many people who I enjoy being with. I think the reason I sometimes dread Mondays is simply because I have to do it. At this stage of my life working is not a choice. I need to do it, not only for myself, but for my family. I suppose many of you have the same feelings and needs. Sometimes I try to imagine how I would feel about my life and work if there were fewer things I had to do and more things I did out of desire. Yes, I know that all of us have free will but life is not that simple. One can decide to make changes but they must be planned and orchestrated with care. Most of us are deeply embedded in the lives we have now and it is not always easy...or desirable....to change them. Most of our past choices have been freely made even if some of them may have been poorly chosen. The truth is that I don't regret my life and I am happy with most of my choices. Certainly some of them could have been thought out more or better planned but I have no regrets. I believe most of us end up exactly where we are supposed to be and for reasons we do not always understand. When I look at my own life it seems very simple and ordinary but I have been able to influence many people and things. I have been blessed to cross paths with good mentors and role models and I have tried to be the same to others. Whatever I have received, I have tried to pass on and share. The wisdom that I share in these daily thoughts didn't originate with me. Most of the wisdom I have has been passed on to me by others. A little has been acquired by my stumbling down the spiritual path of my own life. My life has meaning and so does yours. As one of my mentors, Thomas Merton, says, "There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun".