Thursdays are my weary days -- my wet dishrag days, where I have little incentive to do much. Mostly, it is because on Thursday evenings I teach, which means the day is spent in preparation -- correcting papers, putting together lesson plans.
I come away from the class, late at night rejuvenated. I love to hear what my students have written, but I don't relish the preparation. Usually, on Thursdays there are other things I should be doing -- writing articles, conducting interviews, personal errands, but because the class looms at the end of the day I can never begin much, can never get too involved. That makes me weary. I don't like boundaries; I like the freedom to take flight.
I choose to teach on Thursdays because of this. So I can get as much done earlier in the week as necessary, so that Friday -- my favorite day -- looms ahead. Thursdays are nice days, in fact, I have always had a fondness for them, but they are slow days, deflated days, sometimes stressful days, depending on how much I need to prepare and how much else I have to do. They are sisters to Sunday afternoons only with work to do. They are not days of rest, but days with only one particular focus, one outcome, and a long steady stretch leading to it. I like the freedom to take side roads and byways. I like to be open to possibility.
Tonight, after class I will feel differently. Thursday nights infuse me with energy. I always wish I could bottle this and bathe in it on Thursday mornings, so I would wake refreshed and effervescent, ready to zoom forward. It doesn't work that day.
Writing Prompt: When do you feel tired?