Friday Morning Workday

TGIF - Thank God It's Friday. I love Friday. I look forward to the day of work knowing the week of work is behind me. I've that sense of accomplishment that comes from just showing up and doing one's part. Friday has a limit too. It's over early. Friday night is a time of rest. I'm usually saturated by then. The whole week of stresses have accumulated so that Friday night I can usually look forward to kicking back. Ordering in Pizza. Watching a movie. A lot of times I head out to the country. Sometimes I volunteer for service but a lot of the time Friday night is just a time of rest. I don't usually book new people either. If something strange or crisis driven comes in the door there's often no one around in other places to get information from. Lots of people in institutions either are gone on Friday or just not there Friday afternoon. So Friday doesn't have the same potential for surprises. I'm winding down. The good and hard work that got set in place on Monday or Tuesday often pays off on Friday. I have reports coming in or going out on Friday. It's all about completion.

Of course there's the weekend. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I love to get away to the country or get out on the ocean. I started hiking boating and camping as a boy with my family. So despite the years of tuxedos, chandeliers and gallas I still prefer being out in the Canadian wilderness. I love the pine and spruce. My friend on a tropical island feels the same about the beach beneath the palms But that's the weekend. I wish it was always for that but more often than not it's the time to get supplies, shopping, getting repairs done, doing laundry, fixing things. That's not as enjoyable but it's nonetheless fulfilling. Usually Saturday night has something different even if we're in town. We get out to dinner, sometimes take in a movie. The dog has made us choose outdoor cafes and restaurants where he can lie down curbside. In the winter I've got season tickets to the ballet or theatre and that comes up on Friday or Saturday night. A Canucks game is a big thing too. But that's winter. Summer time is Stanley Park and Spanish Banks Beach. Right now they've started the fireworks events in English Bay. It's kind of a tradition. So many times I've been out on my boats. More often now we're just sitting along the shore with the thousands of others who've thronged down to the West End to listen to the music and watch the skies light up with wonder. No doubt about it Vancouver is a beautiful city.

Friday I remember to be thankful. I'm thankful I've worked all week. I'm thankful for the help I've received. I'm thankful for my friends and family. I'm looking forward to seeing my Dad in a couple of weeks. Hopefully my brother, sister in law and nephews will be in town too. Can't wait to visit with Art, Carole, Bobbie, Cheryl and here I go forgetting everyone's names again. I have dozens of friends I get together at a recurring medical conference with and the biggest difficulty is remembering the guys names. Hugh will be there. I hope the American General is still alive. He was great guy to hang out with last year with. Easy to take direction from. Maybe all his years of leadership made it easier for me to follow his advice. I'll probably have a discussion with Art about that. The Brits and Aussies will be there too. Buffalo is where the meeting is. Wish my Aunt was alive so I could visit her in nearby Toronto. Toronto came alive when she was there and just hasn't been the same city since she's died. Don't know Buffalo. Niagara Falls is nearby and probably as romantic as ever. Certainly was when I was young but most spectacular when my parents took me there and I was fascinated by the men who'd gone over in wooden barrels.

Friday I can look forward to church on Sunday if I'm going to be in town on the weekend. Don't know about this weekend. That was the plan. I was actually going to work on the boat, do some cleaning and minor repairs. The weather report says it's going to be hot and sunny all day. A motorcycle ride up the valley to Harrison's sure seems like a better way to spend the time. Love feeling that wind and the freedom of the open road. If I get enough contrast happening work on Monday is more appealing. A lot of the time I look forward to work on Monday if only for the physical rest. I blame the desk job for my belly preferring that explanation to the frequent fridge attack from Hagen Daz Ice Cream. So on weekends I do my best to get as much exercise in and usually succeed in feeling physically whipped on Monday recuperating from the hiking, motorcycling or yachting. Last week it was reeling away on the fishing rod, hauling in fish and next day hardly able to lift my arm about the shoulder height. Physical activity balances all the mental exercise and together make for a really positive sense of participation.

Friday everyone else is pretty happy. In the building where I work there's a lot of joie d'vive on Friday. Monday's are glum but Fridays are happy times. People are smiling a whole lot more and sharing their plans for the weekend. It's fun to go to work and be a part of the hustle and bustle. I love the buzz in the city on the way to work. All that combined purpose and energy is almost palpable. I could do without the road rage at the end of the day but people are just exhausted like I usually am. My motorcycle wakes me up and forces me to pay attention. I like the ride into and home from work. My favorite way of traveling to and from work was on the train in London. Friends tell me that they get that feeling on the new Canada Line. Part of it is the comfort of sitting back and letting some one else get you there but a lot of it is the beautiful views out the window. I loved watching the countryside and skyline go by when I lived in London. Returning on the Canada line from the airport I loved the vistas of Vancouver and the mountain. It's so refreshing to get out and participate.

Friday is a good day. I'm thankful it's Friday. Another work day. The work week drawing to a close. The weekend is the icing on the cake. Or since I've eaten the main course I can look forward to enjoying the weekend dessert. There's always that pleasure with accomplishment. Work is hard. Discipline is tough. Routine is often ruthless. But Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, as Einstein said. There's so much celebration in working and being a part of the industry of city and community. I'm so thankful for this. Friday is a blessing. Some weeks it seems like it will never come. When it does it's always a friend. The weekend is heralded. I'm soon to be released from the burdens and cares of responsibility. The freedom and wilderness and leisure activities are just hours away.

Thank God It's Friday!


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