Disposable Monday #2

Another Monday morning and I find myself waking up alive regardless of how hard I wished last night. Dragging myself out of bed to face the world on a Monday again does not get any easier. The Monday morning blues is almost tangible, as if it were a thick fog that I can't see past. The normal morning routine seems so much harder and putting on shoes to leave the house is almost enough to cause actual physical pain. Once they are on, I pause for a moment to allow opportunity for actual lightning to strike or perhaps a meteor. Neither happens so I grab my keys and go. The walk to the bus stop feels like wading through waist deep water all the way. Maybe I need one of those great motivational quotes to turn my frown upside down.

I like the spelling mistake in this one.

Here is a really good one that might help. It goes like this; "If you don't like the path you're walking, pave a new one." Sound advice but somewhat easier said than done. It effectively means if you don't like what you're doing, do something else. Rather simple advice that is plainly obvious when spoken plainly but when it's dressed up in just enough allegory it attains a deeper meaning and is revered beyond it's actual worth. Motivational quotes like this one are nothing more than simple advice reworded to become vague suggestions that may or may not apply to your life in some way. They are recycled reminiscence or nostalgia given a coat of paint, a polish and the ugly parts edited out. "Paving a new path" has an air of mystery and adventure about it. The quote (uttered by Dolly Parton) is inspiring due to it's simplification of action required to achieve a desired outcome. It may be enough to make you think "Yes, yes I will pave a new path!" but practicality is of no concern to motivational quotes. So what happens when you have been motivated by a quote but the ugly parts of reality and practicality have thrown obstacles in your way and blocked your new path? Well, there are motivational quotes to make you feel better about failing such as "Every time you fail, you take one step closer to succeeding." Brilliant! It's win-win, or is it lose-win?

Never mind that though. You have to live your life,take chances, be crazy. Don't wait because now is the oldest you have ever been and the youngest you will ever be again. Keep you head high, keep your chin up and most importantly keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing. Two great motivational quotes there that mean nothing unless you're a circus clown. Life is a beautiful thing? Sure it is. Sometimes, for some people but apparently you have to keep smiling anyway. Perhaps if you're crazy enough this won't be a problem.

Brilliant! But what about good things? I heard
something different about those.

Just remember that life is about laughing and living, replacing inner hate with love. Getting through whatever comes our way, looking back and smiling but at the same time we must hurt in order to grow, fail in order to know and lose in order to gain because some lessons in life are best learned through pain. These two appear to contradict each others outlook on this thing we call life. I found it somewhat amusing that they were delivered on my Twitter feed one after the other by the same Twitter account called Uplifting Quotes. If I was there looking for something in particular I may have not known which way to turn but if I find myself worried about the future there is of course a quote to help.

Worrying doesn't take away tomorrows troubles, it only takes away today's peace. Or perhaps, enjoy the little things. One day you will look back and realize they were the big things. These type of quotes I find to be the most annoying. These quotes are based on advice fueled by hindsight or retrospect and cannot be understood fully until that retrospect or hindsight has actually been experienced first hand. Like becoming nostalgic when reminded of bygone days that may have, at the time been overshadowed by some amount of hardship or unpleasantness. Once that hardship or unpleasantness has ended and you have moved past it you are free to look back and view that time in a way that was not possible to do so at the time. Your own memory of that time is no longer inhibited by the difficulty that period of time brought with it because it is over but the fond memories of that time stay with you. This is where the new coat of paint and polish comes in. Your memory has had the ugly parts edited out. At this point you can feel free to come up with your own motivational quote to represent your life as it is now compared to how it was. Just be sure to keep it vague, simple and ignore any practicality.

After wading through all of the BS and
rhetoric, this sums it up just fine.