Happy Hour

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I've always thought that Happy Hour was a negative thing. I used to describe it as "the time you spend after work erasing all of the negativity you feel about your job so that you can manage through another day tomorrow." A band-aid; not a cure.

I still think there is a little truth in that.

But the reality is that work does suck sometimes. Life sucks sometimes. And Happy Hour is exactly that - Happy. I like feeling happy and if taking an hour at the end of the day to enjoy the company of others who are suffering through the same BS helps, then that's not so bad, is it?

Happy. For an hour. If that's what it takes. Then I think it's worth it.

Sure, it's a bit of a trick. We go to the bar and we sit and have a drink with our friends and laugh. We discuss all of the things that make us upset and we joke about how things would be better if WE were running things. Sometimes we don't talk about work at all - just really enjoy the time and laugh. And in the end, we feel better. We feel great, actually.

Then we go home, do the mundane stuff, and get up the next day to face the same BS we were just complaining about the night before.

Nothing has changed. Everything is the same. But as we muddle through our day we are reminded of the things that we discussed last night at Happy Hour. That funny thing that we would do differently. We sometimes even laugh about a stupid idea that one of us came up with. And then we get excited. Because it's only a few more hours before we get to go to Happy Hour again.

It's not so bad, is it? Happy Hour should get better press.

I mean, sure, wouldn't it be great if we all had jobs that made us happy? If we could wake up excited to go to work? Yes, that is ideal. But if that's not the case, then thank God for Happy Hours. They make life tolerable. They give us a place to be free and normal. They give us something to look forward to.

I will no longer avoid Happy Hour. I will only ever say nice things about how it is good for the soul. It's good for the whole.

Until that one day, when I'm ready to take that new job. The one I've wanted my whole life. And when the timing is right, and I'm ready to take the leap. I will no longer go to Happy Hour, because I won't need it. Life will become my Happy Hour.

Until then, I'll see you at 5.

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