Journalled on Thursday, 6th of April 2023 | Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 27 degrees, hot, sunny, and cloudy.
One of my faults, and there are many, is that on the eve of something, I begin to slow down and become prematurely lazy.
It is the eve of Easter Friday, a bank holiday in Brazil. In England, the bank holiday is on Monday, but in Brazil, it is on Friday. I have noticed for a long time now that on the eve of a bank holiday or an event, I tend to slow down or even shut down.
I start to switch off in the early afternoon; it is gradual until early evening, when I have already finished and don’t want to do anything more.
If I have a class at either 6 or 7 p.m., I pray the pupil cancels it; if not, I cancel it, which is neither correct nor professional.
It is unprofessional and certainly not very disciplined as a teacher. Still, working with the public can be draining and stressful, especially in education. Sometimes it helps to take a voluntary break, or even take time off early, before the holiday.
Most pupils don’t mind, as their minds aren’t on studying on a Thursday night, the eve of a bank holiday. They are more into winding down, travelling for the rest of the week to have a long weekend out of Rio, or just going out with friends, without worrying about oversleeping the next day because it is a bank holiday.
Not having to get up early the next day is a luxury for some people, especially in Brazil.
Once, a very well-prepared pupil of mine shocked me a long time ago by saying, “In Brazil, most of the population works to survive, and only this!”
For some time now, I have understood what she said, and as Brazil seems to be getting worse rather than better, what she said in the past seems even more relevant today.
Although I usually feel lazy on the eve of a holiday, I maintained my professionalism and discipline and worked until 6 p.m.
My last client, a leading lawyer in São Paulo and a bit of a workaholic, had scheduled an appointment with me at 6 p.m. However, he cancelled at the last minute, so I could relax and watch an old movie while drinking a glass of wine.
In bed by 9 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
