Love on the weekend (or all week long?) - John Mayer #acnotes

There are two of us. To be more clear, there are two identities in each one of us. Perhaps, there could be more, but I'll keep the discourse on multiple/split personalities for another song and another #acnotes

Well, before I get swayed by my theory, this post is mostly for the working class. The ones with the 9-to-5 jobs. The ones who think we are the evengelists of the hustle culture. The growth hackers and productivity proponents, who swoon over phrases like "do epic shit". The ones who maintain one identity on weekdays and a completely another over the weekend. Of course, I may or may not be referring to you (wink wink), let me drop a disclaimer here before I continue :-

"This note could be based on a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Or, maybe not."

Isn't it strange how work happens during the weekdays. It precisely starts on a Monday morning. Be it work from home, work from office or what they refer to as -- the newfound goddamned product of the pandemic -- hybrid mode. And this whole hustle continues till the week ends. Whenever that is. Ofcourse , there is a time and place for everything under the wide, blue sky. Yet, we seldom... not never, we sometimes indulge in little pleasures only in the later. Rarely is it in the now. Carpe diem reads fine on paper, on a reel, screenshot shared on a post or story. Better still, watching John Keats nudging his class to seize the day. But rarely we've been able to put it in practice. These days, it's no longer peculiar. It's a pattern and a recurring one at that. Life. Love. Laughter. Leave it be, till it's the weekend. We tend to postpone - joy. More so, like it's not some kind of a dental routine.

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

"Love on the Weekend" is the lead single from American musician John Mayer's seventh studio album The Search for Everything.

Perhaps, this is what John Mayer is singing. Or as always I'm reading too much between the lines like I always do. Nevertheless, this song is a sucker punch for many of us here who think we need to prioritise work over love. Or, focus on work because some schmuck told "if you love what you do, it's not called work." It's a capitalist trap. The stick with the carrot. Not that you don't know it already, but let's just say it's a reminder or a reaffirmation to what we always knew.

That said, I do agree with regard to relationships it's challenging to profile them into a binary. However, I'll broadly classify it as - those who have found love could focus on sustaining that love. Those who are yet to find, maybe you could begin your quest. To those who clearly fit into the "it's complicated" or "we are on a break" segment, focus on what else you would love to do.

As Kurt Vonnegut said

"Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow."

“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

So, what's it going to be? Fair enough, we are two of us. We have two identities. One to practice a profession and another to pursue your vocation. One request, at this time, I wish to make is - don't leave it be till it's the weekend. Find pockets of time on weekdays, where you could pursue your love. Be it with a person or your passion. Find pleasure in little things on a daily basis han hoping to have a big blast over a fleeting span of two days you think you will be somebody else. Or a week or two long, vacation.

In conclusion, I wish to share a quote from my friend and favourite author Simone Stozloff's book - The Good Enough Job (if you still haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you do). One of the most poignant insights that the book reveals is from this conversation between Anis Mojgani, American Poet and Visual Artist and Simone –

“Work will always be work. Some people work doing what they love. Other people work so that they can do what they love when they’re not working. Neither is more noble.”

Now, you choose. Love on the weekend or a week long love that seldom ends.

https://lynkify.in/song/love-on-the-weekend/yIpAE37y

#acnotes