The Case Against Mondays; A Petition to G-d | Teen Ink

The Case Against Mondays; A Petition to G-d

March 29, 2014
By Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" -Emily Dickinson


Dear G-d,
I seriously don’t understand pimples- but I accept them with faith. I don’t understand illness- but I accept it with faith. Don't get me started on the purpose of spiders- yet, I do not doubt.
Then comes Mondays.
Mondays, G-d, Mondays!

Are they necessary? Would the world be any less worldly, the days be any less dayly, the years be any less yearly-- without Mondays?

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Shabbos.

Sunday is a wonderful day, it's the Day-Off for mankind. It means sleeping in. Sunday can be shopping sprees, or family excursions, or movie-marathons, or pajama days. Sunday is a wonderful day, so thank you G-d.

Tuesday is the balogna-in-the sandwich day, the middle-child day, the day smack between the Beginning of the Week and the End of the Week. Tuesday is the middle day, and it’s good, because you’ve passed the hurdle of Monday (to be discussed soon) and are already half way through the week. You’ve made it this far, you’ll make it to Shabbos. The worst is over, yes, Tuesday is a good day.

Wednesday kind of sucks, G-d. But you know what, it’s an okay kind of sucky, it’s manageable. Not every day can be sunshine and rainbows, I get that, so that’s why we have Wednesdays. Wednesday is the day you realize your nails are too long. Wednesday you get your period, or you drop your contacts in the toilet. But G-d, IT’S REASONABLE. I don’t complain too much about Wednesdays, because I understand you need the sucky days to appreciate the wonderful. Besides, if there’s a day you'll end up ordering pizza, it'll be Wednesday. I don't know why, but it always ends up happening that way. Ask anybody.

Thursday is the day before your birthday. Almost (just almost) better than the birthday itself, because you get to anticipate it, to stay up late in thrill of it, to dream about it. Thursday is the day before Shabbos, and really, it’s the best of all the days I’ve mentioned already. Thursday morning is “one more day till Shabbos!”, Thursday day is smiles and Shabbos plans, Thursday night is preparing a menu. Oh, Thursdays-- they make me feel You know what you’re doing, G-d, after all.

Friday/Shabbos = bliss.
In my orthodox Jewish home, Shabbos (Saturday) is a holiday. Neither of my parents work, and we do not use computers or cellphones, so nobody's fingers are occupied texting. Nobody's eyes are glued to a screen- every one of the eight members of my family are there, and we eat a three course meal with guests we've invited to spend the Sabbath with us, and we sing and we laugh, and we get passionate talking (fine, arguing) about politics and the meaning of life and whether our neighbor is a jerk or not.
I love Shabbos, dearly.

BUT MONDAYS G-D, MONDAYS! It’s a universal rule, don’t say it’s just me, mondays are unfathomably abominable. Monday morning you wake up and remember that you’ve got a week of work ahead of you, and it’s a long, long way till Shabbos. In school, there’s some sort of unwritten rule when it comes to scheduling Mondays. Take all the worst periods and cram them into this one horrific day. (I’m looking at you, double-period-trigonometry.)
In the world of the grownups, too, Monday means paying the grocer, and scheduling dentist appointments, and going to dentist appointments, and running out of gas, and noticing you still haven’t cut your nails. Monday is the day your ponytail’s too tight, so the whole day it pulls at your scalp and leaves you with a headache.
Monday means fights, and breakups, and being fired, and catching the flu, and stubbing your toe, and burning your tongue and---

AHH- G-D-- WHY??

So G-d, in this respectful petition I beg you to remove Mondays from our universe.

Imploringly yours,
(my name)
On behalf of humanity


The author's comments:
I'm guessing most of you don't really get my Shabbos description. Shabbos is the best part of my week, and I don't know how to properly describe it to people who've never experienced it.
But I'm sure you all DO understand Mondays, and the many curses I wish upon it.

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This article has 5 comments.


Beila BRONZE said...
on Apr. 6 2015 at 8:26 pm
Beila BRONZE, Palo Alto, California
3 articles 0 photos 516 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." -Mark Twain

As someone who does celebrate Shabbos, with the family of seven and three course meal and political debates in tow ;), I get you. You've perfectly described that arc of the week, the way we count up to Shabbos, and the rather glum feeling of "hayom yom sheini b'Shabbos." :P Seriously, is there somewhere I can sign this petition? Your metaphors are spot on, and like Shagun said, your gift is that you find a way to express these intangible feelings in such a wonderfully relatable way. And for the record, I get that "day before your birthday" feeling. You've totally captured the essence of the week in this piece. :)

on Apr. 11 2014 at 1:31 am
Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" -Emily Dickinson

Thanks so much Kaavya, I'm so so glad you liked it! When I wrote "Thursday is the day before your birthday" I meant that Shabbos is like a birthday and Thursday is the day before- with all the anticipation and planning. I guess I have to clarify that, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I wish for everybody to experience at least one Shabbos- Jewish or not, who the heck cares- and I'm glad I was able to describe it in some way that it should interest you. I'm afraid I couldn't really grasp it very well in words, but I'm glad it intrigued you! Thanks again  

on Apr. 11 2014 at 1:28 am
Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" -Emily Dickinson

Oh god, thank you a bazillion times over! I really like your writing too (YOU WERE IN THE FREAKING MAGAZINE- HOW DID YOU MANAGE THAT?) so your compliment means a lot. 
Thankyou-thankyou-thankyou!

on Apr. 10 2014 at 2:16 pm
BurrThistle GOLD, Jaipur, Other
10 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect

Oh, this was so funny !  "Don't get me started on the purpose of spiders" that just cracked me up. Though, on a serious note, completly agree with everything you just wrote ( who doesn't) I love how you've captured undefined emotions into black-and white words. I heard/read somewhere that the best writers are not those who introduce you to new ideas, but those who frame up what you already know in an eloquent way.  And suffice to say, You, my dear, are right up there with the best. Keep writing. I'll be checking( in a totally non-stalkerly way)  

KaavyaM SILVER said...
on Apr. 10 2014 at 8:47 am
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

I love this. It's funny, it's true, and you used language so skillfully that I am in awe.  My favourite line is probably "Would the world be any less worldly, would the days be any less dayly, the year be any less yearly- without mondays?" The description of Shabbos was great too, it left me curious and sort of wishing our family did that as well.   Um, one tiny thing - the line "Thursday is the day before your birthday" didn't make much sense to me. Are you referring to Shabbos, or do you actually mean birthday, like "birthdays normally occur on fridays"?   Great job though! Your writing is something that I look forward to reading because it's always amusing (The funny pieces anyway) and insightful.