Wednesday’s child is full of woe.

Do you have an inner Wednesday? A part of you that is full of WOE?

I think most of us do. 

This is not a dig at Wednesday Adams. She has been my idol since I first learned “NOW” is what we say when we want someone to pass us the peas and that torturing your brother is a sanctioned past-time (I'll have the green cup…iykyk).

Her name (according to Tim Burton & Netflix) comes from an old nursery rhyme* that reads, “Monday's child is fair of face,Tuesday's child is full of grace,Wednesday's child is full of woe…".

We all get the “Wednesday Woe's” from time to time. The doom & gloom stories our inner Wednesday wants to pull us into. “No one will ever love me"; “No one understands me”; “It will always be this way”; “Everyone's further ahead than me”; “Everyone has someone but me", etc. 

My inner Wednesday is particularly active when it comes to romance…or as she likes to call it, WOEmance.

When I see happy couples or come home from another blah date, it's so easy to follow the siren call of Wednesday into thoughts about how life is unfair, how I'm alone & I'll ALWAYS be alone, & that true love is just not meant for me. (inner Wednesday nods along in agreement).

However, it's often NOT our circumstances that cause us pain but the stories we tell ourselves ABOUT our circumstances. 

I'm not saying your circumstances aren't hard. For me, there are times when it feels really hard to be single (there are also times when it feels FREEING…but Wednesday doesn't like to talk about that). BUT, indulging my “inner Wednesday thoughts” adds a layer of SUFFERING that is unnecessary.

The cure for thoughts that create suffering is separation.

We don't want to kill-off our inner Wednesday (though, ironically, the idea amuses her). 

We just need a little space from her. To be aware when she pops up. To not follow her down the dark passageways of thought she wants to lure us into (recall her favorite past-time).

Next time you feel pulled into your “stories of woe”, say hi to your Inner Wednesday. Maybe redirect her energy. WWWD? Chop off some flower heads and make a bouquet of stems (though that's really Morticia's thing). Play a prank on someone in your family. Do something a little sinful. 

Love, 

Jessica 

 *Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day,

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay