Does anyone else get this?
It’s Monday morning and the work week is two hours a way and you get a sickish feeling in your gut.
I know what lies ahead this week and it’s nothing special. There’s certainly nothing to be scared of. Yet, I got this sense of impending doom. it will fade by 9:30 or so when i’m in the office.
What is it about?
I like my job. I like the people there. Tomorrow morning i won’t have this feeling.
It makes me wonder how much energy of mine is sucked up this anxiety. I wonder if it makes me avoid things or if I underperform because of it.
Is it this tension that tightens my shoulders and gives me a headache?
If I let it go, really let it go i would feel far less uncomfortable both psychologically and physically.
Why don’t I?
Is there a secondary payoff of feeling crummy?
Is it the reinforcement of feeling like a victim? Is it because when it ceases I feel so good so i deliberately bring it on? Is it because worry makes me focus on what needs to get done?
Is it just human nature to want immediate gratification and not have to put ourselves in any form of discomfort–and going to work is less gratifying than sitting on the couch eating Girl Scout Samoas?
As I type this the three hounds are snoring. They’ve been fed. they got no walk because of the rain. Wilbur is starting to talk because I think he wants to go outside.
None of them seem worried.
Are bassets a more evolved life form?
I’m not sure that the ability for rational thought is always a good thing.
Wilbur changed his mind, stopped talking and just went and lied down.
I wish I could.
I often wished I could be as happy and carefree as our 20 lb. mix, Molly. A good walk, her favorite food, a cold drink and last, but not least, a loving pat and a few gentle words gave her all the contentment she needed.
When Hurricane Charley came through Ft. Myers in 2004, I was a total mess. Certain we were going to die, or at the very least, have our home destroyed. We had no basement, so set up camp in a middle walk-in closet. The first thing we moved into our cramped quarters was Molly’s bed. She sniffed it, look at us, crawled in and slept for the next 4 hours. Ah, a dog’s life.
Thanks for the great post.
Mary
http://marycunninghambooks.com
http://cynthiasattic.blogspot.com
http://woofersclub.blogspot.com
Yes Mondays are the sh*ts. No my dogs did not get walkies this morning because of the rain. Yes they have already forgiven me and moved on. But then when they go out back and see it is raining they whine at the front door, thinking it is not raining on that side of the house! So I am not sure about being a more evolved life form!
I think we rationalize too much and dwell on the negatives about a long work week ahead instead of the immediate dog emotions – no walkies – warm and dry inside – cookie jar is full – sigh – naptime!
So start your countdown to something positive and hopefully there will be a bright spot every day and not only at the end of the week.
Sigh. I am going to turn around three times and get back into bed with a book, I think!
Like you, I contemplate the advanced spiritual maturity of dogs.
What is it about us that dreads events not yet experienced?
I wonder if it’s the Yin that inevitably accompanies Yang
ie;
“I hate NY winters so I’m moving to Georgia….aww crap, these bloody bugs here are bigger than my beagle…and why am I sitting still and sweating like a cat in a Chinese restaurant?!?!” Or “I don’t like the noisy city so I’m moving to a 40acre lot away from the traffic and all these damn people” and then complain that you can’t zip over to CVS for some Triaminic or a bag of chips because the “zip” entails a 20 minute drive.
So with our gift of creativity comes the curse of creatively awfulizing the future? “The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave man only one.”
To combat this I scold myself for being a real failure as an animal.
It doesn’t make me feel any better but at least it kicks me in the rear enough so I only “die” a few hundred deaths rather than a thousand.
My go-to is thinking of a dog who gets injured, gets rushed to the surgeon, is put under and the next thing he knows he’s got three legs.
I think dogs have the “s*it happens” thing down.
Does our tri-ambulate pal bitch and moan about ‘why God,’ ‘haven’t I been through enough,’ ‘what will they say at the park,’ ‘what hot basenji would ever have me now’? He just deals with What Is. He’s up and around, tail-a-waggin’ and back to destroying the couch’s leg in no time.
Do birds, cows, dogs, squirrels rant about ‘when will this f’n cold go away!?’? They huddle up, find shelter if possible and Deal.
I wish I were better at smoothly adapting to Reality and internalizing the old “Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Unfortunately I hold grudges against the coffee-table-toe-stubs of yesterday and have ulcers over the disasters that could befall me tomorrow.
Shrinks, buddhist monks and dogs alike shake their heads at me.
p.s. mmmmm Samoas mmmmmm
Its because you have too much time on your hands…seriously. I love the doggies but if they were a pack of little boys there would be no morning anxiety. Just alot of
“I dont know where your shoes are”
“What do you mean you havent changed your underware in a week”
followed by “I dont care what sort of record your trying to set”
Also, “I made this lunch you will eat it”
“No I dont have 10 bucks for you so you can get lunch at the deli”
“If you dont stop touching your brother I am going to duct tape everyones hands together”.
I actually did a monday morning post on motherhood and how I am to tired to be properly scared about what i have to do each day.
http://theaveragegirlnextdoor.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/mommymonday-begin/
That’s hilarious, Davida!
I heard a famous therapist tell a story about a patient he had in NYC.
The patient was a single mom, had a gaggle of kids & all the dirt, feedings, screaming, bruises & laundry that entails, had challenges in a bunch of other areas as well.
She told the doc (with a straight face) that she was thinking about having a nervous breakdown but she just hasn’t had the time but “maybe after 1 or 2 of the kids leave I’ll get to it.”
Every once and a while I get the desire to throw some glasses at the wall and watch them break…but I would then need to clean up the mess
Sometime I really want to cry and throw a tantrum but that would scare the kids and make my face puffy
I dream of getting into the car and pulling a thelma and louise off the cliff but that would mess up my car and really tick off the hubby…
so I throw a stouffers mac n cheese in the oven, set the timer and go outside and work the heavy bag for 30 minutes. Come in and eat some cookie dough and then scream “DINNERS READY!!!”