I’ve often said Tuesday is the most unappreciated day of the week.
Think about it: Monday gets a lot of bad press because everybody dreads it – but at least they talk about it. Wednesday is Hump Day, the halfway point of the work week. People like Thursday because it’s almost Friday (and they get to post old photos on social media sites). Friday, duh. And of course, Saturday and Sunday are The Weekend. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Poor ol’ Tuesday, though. What does it have going for it? Election Day, I suppose. So, one out of every 208 Tuesdays has excitement. (Local elections aren’t nearly as fun as Presidential elections, so they don’t count). Tuesday also kicks off Mardi Gras every year, and there’s no denying that’s a fun celebration…but it can’t even revel in that particular glory, because it’s called Fat Tuesday. How unflattering! Talk about a backhanded compliment.
You never hear anyone say “yeah baby, it’s Tuesday! The second day of a miserable week!” Nothing really happens on a Tuesday if you think about it.
Tuesday gets no respect. Greeks and Spanish-speaking people consider it an unlucky day, particularly if the 13th lands on a Tuesday. Seriously. You know how we get all uptight about Friday the 13th? They feel the same way about Tuesday the 13th. The Great Depression began on a Tuesday. Of course it did. And 9/11 happened on…well, it was neither Monday nor Wednesday.
Tuesday is so unappreciated, I’m writing a post about Tuesday on Thursday. Think about that.
But I’m actually here to say that not every Tuesday is so Tuesdayish. Take this past Tuesday; it was a downright great day! Because there I was, toiling away at work, completely oblivious to the crowd of coworkers that had stealthily gathered around my cubicle. Imagine my surprise when they suddenly yelled, “Surprise!”
“I hate to tell you, but my birthday was a few months ago,” I said.
“We’re not celebrating your birthday,” they told me. “We’re celebrating you. The boss has declared today Mark Petruska Appreciation Day.”
I thought this was a joke, but it turns out they were not joking. We left the office early and met for Happy Hour at a nearby restaurant/pub, where everybody went around the room and told me the things they appreciated most about me, while plying me with free drinks. Talk about a humbling experience. (Turns out my hard work is appreciated, but my sense of humor is appreciated more. You know what they say about all work and no play). And then, to top things off, my boss gave me a back rub. Masculine hands or not, I liked it.
This was all seriously unexpected. I told them that everybody works hard and I don’t deserve to be singled out. “Your humility is one of the things we love most about you” was the response. Embarrassed or not, I was also extremely flattered. I’ve raved about this company often, and now you know why. I have never received this kind of recognition before. Usually my employers are too busy laying me off. When one of my coworkers asked me to rate my job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 25 (only Sarah would come up with such a wide-ranging scale), I gave it a solid 23. And I was probably holding back a little.
I counted up every job I’ve had in my life, and that number is 9. I have no idea whether that is excessive or not, but it does include retail jobs in high school and college. I’ve lasted anywhere from one month to ten years – but whether a short stint or a long stretch, none compares to this one. I’ve had good jobs and I’ve had bad jobs, but this is the first truly great job. You know what they say: it isn’t “work” when you’re doing what you love!
I once quit a job because my boss thought I was stealing fifty-pound bags of gravel from the stockroom. Ridiculous. He later apologized, but I couldn’t work for the man after that. I lost another job when the store went out of business. Twice, I was laid off when my position was eliminated. I haven’t always had the best career luck, so having a whole day dedicated in my honor is okay in my book!
And it happened on a Tuesday. There’s hope for the poor day yet.
What was your best job? How about your worst? Anything exciting ever happen to you on a Tuesday?
Mark My Words 
Leave a reply to Mark Petruska Cancel reply