Memorial Day, baby

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner. Actually I don't know if it's straight ahead or right around the corner. Why would it lurk around the corner? Although it would be cool if it could do that and then just jump up and surprise you.
Anyway it's Thursday morning, I'm sitting in front of my computer machine, the sun is in my face, cup of coffee by my right hand and I am feeling good.
Memorial Day weekend (MDW henceforth) is a legitimate excuse for delirious joy. First of all you have three days off from work. Unless you are a low wage earner like me. I have Sunday and Monday off. Two days in a row is rare, I will take it. Reminds me of Bob Cratchit talking about Christmas to his kids on Christmas Eve - "I'm to have the whole day off tomorrow." I'm sure there are many of you out there in the same boat; I shall not whine.
MDW does signal the beginning of summer, even though we all know summer does not start until July 1. In case you have not been paying attention, my theory is that we have only two seasons in New England. Winter and summer. Winter lasts for ten months, summer for two. Winter runs from September 1 through June 30. Summer is July and August. Don't argue with me, you know I'm right.
I have not checked the weather forecast but I am praying that gorgeous sunshine and healing warmth permeate the weekend. Of course the way things have been this winter we'll probably get 47 degrees and rain. However I am trying to remain positive.
MDW gives you a sense of freedom. R&R, insanity, sleeping late, reading, boating, hiking, barbecuing, smoking crack. Whatever turns you on do it and do it with passion.
I have always crawled into MDW with a sense of relief. Get home on Friday night and lay around for three days. Gain 18 pounds and reduce my liver function by another 5%.
I think it's better to be joyous about it. You are getting a chance to be human here without some lowlife boss critiquing your every move. You get to hug and kiss your spouse and pets for no particular reason at four twenty ( Hi Craig) on a Saturday afternoon.
We should all strive to inject some originality into the weekend. Barbecue something new, travel someplace you haven't been to before, wear some daring new clothes. If you are a drinker, try climbing a mountain. If you are a mountain climber, try polishing off three bottles of Crown Royal.
It's that Be Here Now mentality creeping into my perspective. We all look forward to MDW as something special but I think a lot of times it slips away and we are back to work on Tuesday bewildered. And trust me, when you get back to work, Ebenezer Scrooge is not going to give you a sack full of coins and a raise.
Summer is short. Many of us live for summer. It's a free and easy time. Don't need ten layers of clothes, no driving in ice storms. People are in better moods in the summer, sneaking out of work early, calling in sick a little more often, just trying to grab a bigger piece of life. I think it's ridiculous to live in a climate that forces you to live this way but I have not been able to convince the wife. New Orleans. Arizona. I could do it. But I am striving for positivity here so the deal is, if we are going to live in this frozen climate we might as well make the most of the two good months we get.
Please. I'm begging you. Get crazy this weekend. Dig down deep and tap into true emotion and a genuine sense of freedom. Peace of mind. Try a little of that. See how it feels.  Don't worry about the goddamn bills. Move slowly. Look around and drink everything in. Screw the budget; go to your favorite restaurant and devour a most excellent meal. Hopefully on an outdoor patio. Order an expensive bottle of wine and drink the whole damn thing. Sit in the sun (if there is any) and let the warmth seep right into your bones.
Dig it, baby. We don't get enough chances to just be humans. Life keeps grabbing at you like corpses reaching out from the grave. Burn the memories of this weekend into your brain. It will give you strength. And when your boss gives you crap about some tiny, little, insignificant detail on Tuesday morning you will be confidant enough to say "Buzz off, little man, you are harshing my mellow."
Pretty strong stuff.