The Flying Umbrella

I love Sundays. But I don't love the "Sunday night dread." You know exactly what I'm talking about: that point in the evening when you realize that Monday morning is only a few short hours away and you'll once again be as far away from the weekend as you can possibly get. I hate it. And it comes every week. Without fail.

You see, weekends are my only respite from work. But please don't misunderstand. I've been at my current job for nearly five years and as I look back on the ups and down of those years, I'm very grateful. It's been a perfect fit and a blessing, both personally and professionally. The company as a whole is great one to work for. The last few months, however, have been challenging. They've been downright hard. And though finding the gratitude during this time has been difficult, it's still been there. Deep down.

In addition to these challenges is the fact that my team and I are now knee-deep in our biggest project of the year. And it's proving to be harder and more stressful than ever before. I was actually telling a coworker last week that this project reminds me of a particular scene from Disney's Robin Hood. It's the point in the movie when all hell breaks loose just after the archery tournament and Little John find himself atop a chaotic group of rhinoceros guards. He yells, "Who's driving this flying umbrella?!"


That's pretty much what this project feels like. And like Little John, I'm the one sitting on top, seeing where the chaos is going, and trying not to panic. Some days are more successful than others. But if the last five years are any indication, the project will get done. And done well. Somehow. Unfortunately this fact does very little to alleviate the Sunday night dread. But do you know what does? Taking a PTO day on Monday. Granted, that does means that I'll have the Monday night dread instead . . .