mental health day

my boss in dallas once told me "the day i wake up and don't look forward to going into work is the day i should start looking for another job." not only is that too idealistic for even me--it completely backfired on him, because that day came much sooner for me while working for him than i think he (or i) expected. the reality is, even when you have a job you love, or just a job you know is the *right* job, you sometimes need a break.

thus, the Mental Health Day.

i'm not sure exactly what the mental health day is supposed to give you, other than time to blog about mental health days, but whatever one gains from it seems to work. you take a day off, even though you're "not sick," and, in turn, you get a sense of balance back, maybe even a sense of freedom, and sometimes--if you're really lucky, a sense of power. hey--it's my fucking life. i can take a goddamned day off whenever i goddamned want to. (didn't you know people in power always use too many curse words?)

the reasons for taking a mental health day are as varied as those who take them. i, for one, try not to go to work when the only reason i'd be going to work is to tell them i'm never coming back to work! the point is--you know your own stressors/breaking point and you have the right to take control of your life, when the time is appropriate. sure, we have all agreed to be good little girls and boys and give back to society in this meaningful way. but we can't do that [not really...not in the true spirit of participation] if we're not aware of what we're doing. and we can't be aware if we're too stressed out to think. to quote myself: some days, even a large iced coffee just isn't enough.