Tuesday is the worst day of the week. Everyone has their head down at the copier, no one remembers who they haven’t said hello to, so maybe we don’t say hello to anyone at all. No one wants to change out the water cooler or make a new pot of coffee. We mostly hide at our cubicles, sleepy and dry.
Tuesday’s the day we have to be here all day, Admin Day, the day to catch up on all the paperwork – even though no one ever catches up on all the paperwork. It’s not actually possible to catch up on all the paperwork. Still, we can’t go see clients on Tuesday, we’re not even supposed to have them come into the office unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Today, I have to ask my boss for special permission to have a client come in the office. It was the only time the woman could come. I just hope we don’t have our weekly meeting at the time she’s coming in, as we never know what time our weekly meeting is going to be, except that it’s usually on Tuesday. It’s not even weekly, the weekly meeting. My boss says that’s why it’s important that we’re always prepared.
If the appointment falls during the weekly meeting, then my boss would ask where I was (even though I told her), then she would give a warning to the team that Tuesday is Admin Day (even though I’m not there), and we’re not supposed to schedule appointments on Admin Day (even though no one who is there necessarily did). Admin Day is the day for our weekly meetings, she would say. Will say. And she will go on to remind us we must always be prepared.
I should have asked her yesterday if I could schedule the appointment. I forgot. It might have made it better if I had told her yesterday, but usually someone else forgets too, and at that point, it doesn’t matter, she’ll warn everyone anyway – even though those in attendance didn’t schedule an appointment during the weekly meeting – still, there’s probably never really more than one set of extenuating circumstances, and so she’ll feel the need to issue a warning, so that in the future, fewer appointments with extenuating circumstances will be scheduled on Admin Day.
But it was a few months back – a Tuesday! – I had this epiphany: everything is extenuating circumstances, that’s what the world is made of, and it makes organization especially onerous and preparation somewhat pointless – only compassion can conquer every day.
And I believe it – I really do – even though today I’m not sure I can explain it. In the moment though, I would have defended it to the death. It would have been the hill I would die on, as my dead grandmother would have said.
Otherwise, Monday is almost worse than Tuesday. You feel Tuesday looming over you, and it’s all up hill. There’s nothing you can do to get it over with, except ride it out. Otherwise, because of Tuesday, Monday is just awful, and Sunday night, I’ll drink an extra glass of wine even though I won’t sleep as well, but I feel Monday looming, Tuesday just beyond it.
And Wednesday – the hump, they call it – is already downhill. It’s nearly over before it starts. Thursday evening, it practically feels like the weekend, Tuesday is so far away, Saturday so close.
Friday, we usually leave a little early to beat traffic, even though everyone leaves early to beat traffic, and so no one beats traffic. Friday, it doesn’t matter if I have an extra glass of wine, I can be hungover for all anyone cares on Saturday. Saturday is sleeping late, dinner, maybe a movie if I’m feeling up to it. If I’m not, the weekend is pretty much done. Otherwise, Saturday is celebration. Then it’s gone.
