It’s Monday, the day so many dread because it means that must go back to work. I shot a video about Mondays last year, and I am going to do that same math here for you.

If you are 37 years old with a life expectancy of 78, you have 2,132 Mondays left before you run out of Mondays.

If you are 45 years old with that same life expectancy of 78, you 1,716 Mondays in front of you. That’s less than the 2,340 you have behind you.

Let’s say you are 54 years old, with the same 78-year life expectancy. You have 1,248 Mondays left to complain about, or to enjoy.

If your parents are still with you, they have fewer Mondays than you have. But you must count those Mondays, too, those Mondays being fewer and giving you less time than you would want. If you have children, they have more Mondays than you.

We think too little of Mondays. We think too little of each day, it being one of so few that we have. Until we realize how few days we have and how precious each one is, we live as if we are going to live forever, not treating each day with the respect it deserves.

The starting gun is fired, and the race begins. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t hear the starting gun, that you didn’t know you needed to move with greater intention. The clock is in motion and it continues its cruel, relentless count regardless of what you do with your time.

You have been given a number of days. You do not know how many. Treat each one like the gift it is. Even Monday. No, especially Monday, for its ability to mark the start of a new week, new choices, and a new appreciation for the time you have been given.