Mondays have a bad reputation.

Mondays have a bad reputation.  Long before Karen Carpenter sang about the dismal, mood-altering properties of the first day of the work-week, there existed a certain dread for the proverbial return-to-the-grindstone of the traditional work week. 

Weird thing, though, not everybody feels that way.  I am one of those people who views Monday as the fresh start.  It doesn't have quite the same feel as a new notebook, or turning the page on the calendar, but it does allow me to shake my arms and legs out a bit, like Usain Bolt about to go into the blocks before a big race.  

Because, face it, from about 7:35 on Monday until 3 pm on Friday, that's pretty much how a teacher's work week seems to fly.  It's a race, even if it does seem like a marathon at times.

21 Days of Happiness.

More than 3 weeks ago, I committed to returning to daily blogging as my own version of the 21 Days of Happiness project that my students were doing.  Today, two classes shared the results of their projects, and the general consensus was that journaling and random acts of kindness seemed to have the greatest impact on personal happiness, with gratitude as a close third.  Conversely, meditation was not a success.  

One of the most interesting reports came from the recipient of kindness, rather than the RAK=giver herself.  This student had taken it upon herself to write notes of encouragement with facts about Mondays.  

"I know today is Monday and you assume it's going to suck, but according to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths, and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States.... There will be 600 dogs adopted, ........ because according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day....."

We all know that there is no sense in arguing statistics.  And yes, it was Monday, and yes, one single letter passed out to some friends made an impact that started a comment, which generated a discussion, which created a blog topic, which made me wonder what wonderful statistics exist for Tuesday.

Have a great week!