My Monday/Your Friday

When you work at a 24/7 news operation (or any 24/7 endeavor), as I do, there are people working all day, every day. And since no one person can actually work 24/7, there is a staggering of staff. My week may start on Monday, while someone else kicks off his or her week on what to others is Thursday. Which means that when I come in, whether at 8am or at midnight (and time of day is another story altogether), bouncing and energetic to start my week, I have to remember that for some of my shift mates, my Monday is actually their Wednesday, or Thursday, or even Friday. While I am coming off of a couple of down days to regroup and rest up, they may be counting the hours till their days off.

It's an interesting way to think about life. I recently talked to a theatre stage manager, who compared her first day on a project to the first day of school, with everyone walking in to a new space, with new "classmates" and new supplies. While she might feel first day excitement or jitters, she was inevitably surrounded by people experiencing the same, or at least, very similar, things.

In my 24/7 world, there may be overlap of experience or feeling. But there is also the difference that comes with shift work. My eagerness to start may be met with your eagerness simply to be done. My exhaustion at 8am may be met with your fresh-faced "hello" to the day.

And so, on a day-to-day basis, I am faced with the lesson that essentially faces us all every day--that our view of the world is really just OUR view, influenced by how open or closed our eyes might be any given moment or how many days are left till our next period of down time. So, I remember to calm my "Monday" bounce, just a little, when talking to co-workers for whom it is "Friday." I bear in mind that my extreme need for sleep at 8am after an overnight, or after a series of overnights, might seem odd to the 8am-ers. In work, and in life, you just never know when your Friday is someone else's Monday.