Dear Dudley: Holiday breaks can be tough to cope with

July 5, 11:49 PMLife in the Cubicle ExaminerDudley B. Dawson

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Ideas like the Jump to Conclusion mat are often the only
sure fire way to escape the daily grind of cubicle life.
Regardless of short or long weekends.
- Image courtesy of ThinkGeek.com

DEAR DUDLEY,

I am not looking forward to going back to work on Monday.  I had Friday off for the 4th of July weekend and the first day back is always a grind.  Do you have any advice on how to deal with work after returning from a long holiday weekend? 

Sincerely,

CASE OF THE MONDAYS

Dear CASE OF THE MONDAYS,

Anxiety about returning to work after a long weekend is a sign that you don't enjoy your job.  Lucky for you, no one enjoys their job in Corporate America.  You are not alone.  We all realize how miserable our lives are after a few days away from the job.  In fact, the summer schedule for American professionals is a consistent reminder of how miserable our lives are:

1. Memorial Day - The summer season officially kicks off with a nice 3 day weekend to enjoy the nice weather.  Unfortunately, the Tuesday following Memorial Day is just a depressing reminder that we are no longer school kids who can actually enjoy the summer.  Memorial Day is a nice jump start to your Summer Blues.

2. Random 1/2 day Fridays - Many people will utilize a few of their vacation days by extending them out to several half days.  It might buy you a few extra hours of sunshine, but you just wasted perfectly good full vacation days with work commutes, appearances at the office, and an inability to disconnect from your job. Half days in the United States are just a reminder to other countries that we are a pathetic work addicted country with too few vacation days.  We are left with no other option but to try and pretend we have more vacation by using half days.

3. 4th of July - Your one day to actually enjoy the summer.  Use it wisely.  In 2009 we were lucky enough to make a  3 day weekend of it.  Returning from a 3 day weekend is pure misery, but even worse is a random day off in the middle of the week.  When July 4th lands on a Wednesday it's like getting an extra Sunday.  Sundays are horrible unless there is football on.  Sorry God.

4. Labor Day - One more day off to give you one last shot at enjoying the summer.  Returning from Labor Day is the dagger in the heart.  You arrive to work on Tuesday morning and realize the summer is over, even though it feels like Memorial Day was yesterday.  Another summer down the drain due to your cubicle job.

As you can see above, working in a cubicle is just one depressing moment after another.  The only constructive advice I can offer is to escape.  The only way to escape is with a good idea.

Keep brainstorming ideas to get out of the work life you currently live.  For example, I currently have two ideas in the works.  The first is Brew Balls, America's First Ball Pit Bar & Grill (explained in this article).  The second idea is to become a soda jerk (still in the preliminary ideation phase).

You cannot escape reality.  The reality is that working in a cubicle will always be a depressing grind.  The only way out is to find the next big idea.  Like the Jump to Conclusions mat.

---

'Dear Dudley' will appear every Monday in Dudley B. Dawson's Life in the Cubicle column.  Do you have a question to ask Dudley?  Email him at CitizensAgainstDonHenley@gmail.com.

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