(May 16/16) Take It Easy Like Monday Morning, Comr-adores…

Well hello, fascinaters!  Hats off to you for showing up; for it’s always a moment of crowning glory when your grace allows me to bask in the warmth of such wonderful Company…Be it a-muse-ical Grandpa Joe “golden-day” or a (Willy) wonky one…

So—even though I’m still rocked (*an oxymoron if you choose*) in the wake of Prince’s passing—and rendered Violet Beauregarde (royal blue) as a result—it’s a most welcome tip of the mad-cap to know that you continue to invest in my patented Palaces, Adventures, ‘n’ Wander brand.

By way of thank you–post haste, I will employ a haste-post-approach meant to expeditiously bring me to the point of my point…in other words, to the tip of the day…

(Although, in hind blight, I shouldn’t like to find that you concluded that it all went downhill from here…)

Anyway…said tip…

Likes can be deceiving…just ask Monday…

Here’s the tie-in:

Throughout this week, a number of blogging friends expressed disappointment and self-doubt—given a lack of likes (especially when coinciding with a high number of views)…

…and, these are not egotistical entitlists, my friends…

…and, no William Hung (bless his wonderful attitude) lack of innate talent here, either…

These bloggers are among the best and the brightest, in my humble opinion!

So, for what it’s worth, here are some theories I’ve been mulling over…

Perhaps a language barrier—and/or, lack of cultural context/relevance—might be at play…

(And, on a personal note, I can only imagine how much of my wordplay/associations get lost in translation :))

Perhaps, having “followed” (and/or) being followed by increasing numbers, some people have become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of posts—and can only commit to reading certain favoured/familiar ones…especially in light of keeping up with their own posting schedule…

Perhaps formerly-invested-appreciators have become disheartened/disappointed themselves, and no longer sign on as often…or, maybe no longer at all…

Perhaps some find certain posts too long for their liking…

Perhaps some visitors find certain posts intimidating for any number of reasons….

And…Perhaps, if one posts frequently (daily) or infrequently (e.g.. Bi-weekly?), they are overlooked in a familiarity-breeds-contempt—or an out-of-sight, out-of-mind—imbalance.

Given more time to think about it, I may add more theories after this has been posted, but, I think you get my point.

And, please feel free to add any theories you may have! 🙂

As for me, relatively new to social media—and, as a person who has never seen the appeal in superficial connections—I can easily understand how insecurity-inducing it is to put your heart and soul into something you post, only to feel like a significant number of people have viewed it, and not responded.

Nothing, in the face-to-face world of interactions, quite prepares one for the differences in social media exchanges…

I mean, can you imagine repeated situations where, having shared something meaningful to you, the response is dismissiveness…someone giving you, at best, a once-over before they walk away without acknowledgement?

Then again, the nature of social media facilitates/generates encounters that would not occur otherwise…the inherent lack of natural-(social)-selection boundaries and barriers become double-edged swords… we can’t engage with everyone who crosses our paths…

Nor can we bond with them all…

Additionally, as I shared with one of my (disheartened) blogging friends, sometimes, no like may just mean that—having stumbled upon your good looking post—the viewer decides it’s a George Clooney, and not a Brad Pitt—therefore, not the visitor’s type.

However, and no judgement here, given my temperament/outlook, if I visit someone’s blog, I think it’s only polike to give acknowledgement (in most cases, you can find something to appreciate)…otherwise, that’s about the same as dialling a wrong number, and hanging up in someone’s ear…rather than offering an apology for mis-dialling.

And, sometimes misdials can be delightful surprises…. 🙂

Anyway, whatever the Perhaps may be, it can become easy for people to feel rejected, and to doubt their offerings and abilities…

Which can make one feel as unappreciated and as unpopular as a Monday mourning…

But here’s a thought…

As Sir Bob Geldof (formerly of The Boomtown Rats) so aptly put it, disliking Monday is akin to shooting the messenger…

(Did you catch the palace/royalty tie in there?)

In essence, Monday serves as a recurrent dream-stealing, and alarm-ing reminder that we are not independently wealthy…and, on a deeper level, this is joust further proof that we are not all-powerful…

…and Monday reminds us of the trades we make in order to get what we need and want…

…which, depending on time and place might be (or come to be) something we can’t muster enthusiasm for—or, that we may even dread…

So, it becomes easier to blame Monday than to make changes (for any number of understandable reasons)….

However, the fact that we have to work simply coincides with certain days of the week, and (often) Monday is first in line….thus, perfectly positioned to be scapegoated…

As such, it is identified as ring leader–and (lyrically) libled Leader of the Flack…

And, most of the other weekdays don’t fair much better, either…

Tuesday used to be sparkly…but once given a ruby red kiss off by The Beatles, word spread, and Tuesday’s mystique was no more…

Poor Wednesday isn’t assigned any value in its own right… it only serves as a halfway -decent frame of reference for better days ahead….

And, in their zeal to greet the weak-end, people stand on tip toes and try to see beyond Thursday…

And, why is that?

Because, among a host of royally-ridiculous notions, spin doctors have purported that Friday has the power to make the most pessimistic, weak-day loathing (*a-hem*) stoic fall in love…

And that, for those afflicted with weak-day work woes, Saturday has the power to Cure what ails you….

And that Sunday has the restorative power to cure what might have (Molson) ale-d you the night before…

But, you know what I say?

Monday is my latest hero…

Despite its notorious reputation, Monday keeps showing up, unapologetically and without bitterness….it isn’t intimidated by naysayers–and knows that there are those who make time to see and acknowledge  its worth…

Monday realizes that it is simply–and wonderfully–another day for us to give of our best, and to live the best lives we can.

What’s not to like about that? 🙂

God bless you; and happy Monday, everyone!

P.S.  On a personal note, after I wrote this post, I found out that I owe Monday a lifelong debt of gratitude–I was born on one!

P.P.S.  Context for the more obscure pop references: In the late 1970’s, The Commodores had a hit with “Easy Like Sunday Morning” ; Fascinators are fancy hats, and became a topic of conversation when spotted at Kate Middleton’s wedding–and, Company B had a 1980’s hit called “Fascinated”; The Boomtown Rats had an 80’s hit with “I Don’t Like Mondays” (“I want to shoot the whole day down…”);  The Shangr-Las had a hit called “Leader of the Pack” (a song about a maligned love interest who is labelled a gang leader); and The Cure  had an 80’s hit with “Friday, I’m in Love”.

https://ca.search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C211CA0D20140727&p=fascinated+by+your+love+boy

41 thoughts on “(May 16/16) Take It Easy Like Monday Morning, Comr-adores…”

    1. Wow!!! Thanks, Aidan…I had the sense that maybe it wasn’t as amusing as my others, but I thought it was more important to be supportive and encouraging than clever…really happy to know that you enjoyed it (and that it wasn’t too dry or stuffy). I really, really appreciate you and your “like”…very generous of you 🙂

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      1. Not at all. You write very well. When I first started blogging over two years ago, each little like I received spurred me on. Now I don’t really pay attention to them, because I write because I enjoy it (even if others don’t!). Look forward to hearing more in your future posts.

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      2. Thank you, Aidan…it is so wonderful that you write because you enjoy it…me, too…and, I’ve found that having encouragement and appreciation from a few people can give one the confidence to know that what you think is great is an opinion shared by others…and for me, that doesn’t need to be tons and tons of people….given wonderful and thoughtful comments, I have become pretty confident in my ability, but for some reason, I wasn’t sure that this post would have as much appeal…it is not as whimsical as my others…but, with one comment from you, I am really glad I followed my gut and shared from the heart…so, see, you proved my point…we don’t need a lot of “likes”, just a few well-placed ones…thank you, Aidan 🙂

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    1. Thank you….I’m happy to hear it…you’re welcome for the shoutout–our connection continues to inspire me…and, I love the way that my thoughts lead me down paths that take me unexpected places–such as a remembrance of Boomtown Rats…I used to sing this song with gusto (as I do every song 🙂 ) Take care, my friend 🙂

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  4. Hello Monday Girl, A Great Post as usual. Monday fills us with Hope, we might start off groaning Urgh, it’s Monday morning, but then things will only improve from then on in (if given the chance) and by Friday, you might have had just the most fantastic week, (when you are lucky) that your weekend is just filled with fun, to set you up or the next one. Glad It’s normal to worry (for a moment at least) when people view but don’t like what we’re posting. But in the words of Gloria Gaynor “I will survive”. Now on the subject of “And, sometimes misdials can be delightful surprises…” Well, that’s a whole new post I may have to write later 🙂

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  5. Well, a day later than Monday but perhaps this is because things fly past on my reader so fast I missed it…another reason perhaps that favourite blogging friends get missed…I fear I am tremendously good at doing that and it by no means me saying don’t like this or that but a logistical matter of balance. With up to 100 blog related emails per day and other social media platforms the extrapolated outcome suggests if balance is bit found I would be doing nothing but living inside the blogosphere. I love all my followers and intend to continue to pound on new ones and follow theirs but time is time and there never seems to be enough.

    I’ve even contemplated turning off email notifications and that would make me seem even worse on the comment come like stakes… I will thus transform two perhaps into, actually they are real reasons for me…

    Time is one
    Reader lifespan is another

    I engage as often as possible and ALWAYS with those that actively engage on mine…I must now balance things more…it us NOT me ignoring anyone intentionally but balance must be reached lest overload occurs and one enters forced hibernation and that would be bad, very bad.

    Thank you Truly for using your unique madness to put up postulations on posting and the liking thereof…I sense it is a common internal problem for many of us…

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    1. I get the need for balance…I’m going to training tomorrow (it’s 9:22 pm here) which meant I was at work for an extra 4 hours doing paperwork needed for tomorrow…so, no time to read blogs tonight 🙂

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      1. Balance….tried that today then looked at my emails and thought 😱

        Still, it allowed some breathing to occur….except I was fixing elders laptop 🤔

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      2. I figure this is all just another part of the process/journey…a head-ache-inducing one at times….and, in learning to manage it all, we are gaining skills that will come in handy as we rise higher and higher….I just know your writing is going to take you to amazing heights…and, I am beyond thrilled for you…this will all be worth it, you’ll see 🙂

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      3. It is, the first few miles…I just hope things don’t stall or I get distracted by blogging to the expense of writing!! Thank you for the positive thoughts though…really appreciate them 🙃

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  6. I can tell how much effort and thought you put into your posts. Your wit adds value, but it also adds time required to thoroughly read the post. I was warned about the lengths of my posts that only amounted to about 1000 words. It might be something to consider.

    Your inspiring post today, as always, was so much fun to read. I hope you remain positive, because any writing that comes from the heart is worth reading. Thank you for all your effort.

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      1. You are a great writer and I can appreciate your hard work and effort. I enjoy the challenge in reading your pieces and catching the various nuances. Keeping up with your wit is always fun.

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  7. Had to hit “like”…. but to quote someone… “Likes” can be deceiving… another fun read… I admire your ability to play with words… and… I think what I like most about your blog is the more familiar I become with your word play style… the more enjoyable the reading becomes… almost the same feeling I have when I am with old friends reliving inside jokes…

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    1. What an utterly wonderful comment…that is about one of the nicest things I’ve heard…it’s great to know I’m growing on you…I really, really appreciate this feedback…I’m starting to think I should dial it back a bit on the word play a bit, because having discovered an affinity for it, I find it hard to resist…it amuses me and helps me lighten up…but, I don’t want to come across as a show off or make people feel left out…that is never my intention….

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      1. please write what is inside of you in the way you want it to come out… we enjoy reading you… I bet if I happenstance upon some text you wrote… I would likely recognize you and welcome that… and if by some reason you changed style and substance to meet another’s expectation I would feel loss… (wow… not sure I understand what I just wrote… pretend it means something profound… and don’t stop writing these types of posts… please)

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  8. Palaces, Adventures ‘n’ Wander brand. You are brilliant.
    Your writing is so quirky and absolutely lovely. Your narration is compelling and it’s like I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole myself. Keep up the amazing work,

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    1. You have no idea how delighted I am that you understood that frame of reference!!!!!! Thank you for every single word you wrote….my heart is singing (and that says a lot since it’s first thing in the morning and I am quite sleep deprived today 🙂 ).

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  9. Well, I’m kind of lost for words.
    But not for long – I just remembered what your first point was on that post.
    About the only thing that stops me from Liking something (once I have read it) is that it expresses something that I do not agree with, for example ‘rabbits are very scary creatures’ or ‘consumerism will save the world’.
    Sometimes I will skip parts of a post if they are too long, but that will not stop me from liking what I have read. I can’t find anything intimidating about the blogosphere – it’s just not able to hurt me really. I’m not quite popular enough to be overwhelmed by comments and likes (yet 😉 ) and I’m not burned out. Perhaps I post too much. I have so much to say though!! 😀
    Thanks for this post, Truly – I love it for your honesty and verve.

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    1. I, too, am not popular enough to feel overwhelmed–but I am really, really grateful for those who consistently appreciate my offerings….and I am equally grateful for the amazing posts that gifted people like you share. By the by–for what it’s worth–I don’t think you post too much 🙂

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      2. I think that great writing is worth reading…so, length of posts does not deter me….you are amazing…don’t ever change…post as you feel the urge to share…we are blessed as a result 🙂

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  12. Lol @ “Polike”. Ah, this piece is so witty, you are the Queen of word play.

    I know what you mean, sometimes as a writer/blogger, we aim to please our audience and their likes and comments help us to gauge how the message was received, or to gauge our level of influence on the readers.

    Another matter is the fact that people have shorter attentions spans nowadays, I blame Twitter – this business of 140 characters has spoilt people somewhat. Aaaargh…

    These days, I simply focus both on my content and blog networking. I do my best and leave the rest to God. 🙂

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    1. I love everything about this comment…including the fact that it tells me much about you and your capacity for patience, big-picture-thinking, generosity of spirit, faith, and gift for encouragement 🙂 Thank you for your much-appreciated assessment/compliment…wow…I’m about to “visit” your blog…will be in touch soon 🙂

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