Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on October 2, 2024 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

Any day of the week is a good day for a hike at Keppoch Mountain

 

“Sunday will never be the same.”

Sunday Will Never be The Same – Spanky and Our Gang

What is your favourite day of the week?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a story, and someone sent me a message afterwards, reminiscing about Sunday evenings, sixty or more years ago. Sundays had a predictable rhythm. We were marched off to Sunday mass to start the day. In the afternoon we were banished from the house for an afternoon of unstructured play. Our parents weren’t running the roads driving hither and yon to hockey games, dance classes or soccer.

After supper, we gathered around the black and white television. We watched Lassie, followed by one of the all-time great cowboy shows, Bonanza. Who can forget Ben, Hoss, Adam, Little Joe, and Hop Sing? But the most anticipated moment was the opening theme music for the Ed Sullivan Show. At the time, the Ed Sullivan Show was the longest running TV variety show. For many of us, this was our first exposure to The Beatles and Elvis Presley. The network refused to show Elvis from the waist down. The gyrating “Elvis the Pelvis” was deemed offensive by the network.

And who amongst us aging grey hairs can forget the performance by The Doors. Prior to a performance, Jim Morrison had contractually agreed with Ed Sullivan that he would not sing the shocking lyrics “Girl we couldn’t get much higher.” Well, guess what? Jimmy went ahead and sang “Light My Fire” in its entirety earning the band a lifetime ban. Yes. Political correctness has always been with us.

“Monday, Monday, so good to me,

Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be.”

Monday, Monday – The Mamas and The Papas

I’m retired now… sort of, so the days of the week are often indistinguishable. But during my working life, Monday was, well, Monday. Most of us working stiffs had a small knot in our stomachs on Sunday evening, dreading the thought of another long work week. I don’t ever remember meeting anyone who actually liked Mondays. They probably don’t have any friends and eat kale 7 days a week.

“Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday,

Who could hang a name on you?”

Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones

I haven’t read any longitudinal studies on workplace efficiency, but I suspect that Tuesday might be the most productive day of the work week. The final dregs of alcohol consumed on the weekend have been extinguished, you have Monday in the rear-view mirror, and you’re ready to take on all comers.

“Hump day,

It ain’t just any other slump day,

There ain’t no other day like Wednesday,

And they can’t take it away,

Until the clock strikes midnight on Tuesday.”

Hump Day – Samuel Stokes

You’ve made it to Wednesday! Congratulations. It’s hump day. You’re chugging along, chewing up the hours and you know that you have just about broken the back of the week. I don’t know about you, but Wednesdays had a special feel about them. You could almost taste the weekend even though it was 48 hours away.

“Well, it started out just like a dream.”

Thursday – Jim Croce      

There was only one thing better than the weekend when we were working stiffs and that was the anticipation of the weekend. Work productivity started to wane as we dreamt about all of the social engagements, parties and sporting events that we could attend on the weekend. You could literally taste the weekend, and some workers actually dropped into a pub after work on Thursdays just to start revving up the engine.

“Everybody’s working for the weekend,

Everyone wants a new romance,

Everybody’s goin’ off the deep end,

Everybody needs a second chance.”

Working For The Weekend – Loverboy

Yes! Woot! Woot!” We survived another week and we’re ticking off the minutes until the workday ends. People’s spirits were high. (“Girl we couldn’t get much higher”!). Freedom. Frivolity. Fun. Friendship. Friday. I must admit that even in retirement, Fridays still have a feel to them. A very good feeling. A happy feeling.

“Saturday, in the park,

I think it was the Fourth of July.”

Saturday in the Park – Chicago

As a kid, Saturdays was simply THE best day of the week. No school. No homework. A full day of doing nothing but enjoying life. In the summers, we had pickup games of baseball or football and in the winter, we skated on outdoor ponds and built snow forts. We went to a matinee at the theatre, often a “spaghetti western”.

After supper we polished and shined our shoes within an inch of their lives in preparation for Sunday mass. I can still see the 10 pairs of shoes lined up on the floor on a newspaper. Most of us then gathered around the old black and white TV, adjusted the rabbit ears and eagerly awaited the opening bars of the theme to Hockey Night in Canada. I can only remember one sponsor of those iconic hockey broadcasts – Murray Westgate shilling for Esso. We lived and died with the Habs and any game featuring Les Canadiens and the dreaded Maple Leafs was filled with high tension and emotion. One of my next-door neighbours was a diehard Leaf fan. Depending on which team won or lost, it seemed like life and death.

What was your favourite day of the week, then and now?

These days, any day that ends in the letter Y is my favourite.

It means I’m still alive.

Have a great weekend.