"I wish you a tolerable Thursday. That's all any of us can hope for"

April Winchell’s line, “I wish you a tolerable Thursday. That's all any of us can hope for,” blends dry humor and realism in a way that resonates with the daily experience of modern life. Rather than offering the common platitudes of wishing someone a “great” or “wonderful” day, Winchell opts for something far more modest: tolerability. The sentiment acknowledges that not every day radiates joy, excitement, or possibility. Sometimes, making it through a day with minimal upheaval is an accomplishment in itself.

This approach holds a subtle kind of comfort. Rather than setting sky-high expectations that few ordinary Thursdays can possibly meet, it provides permission to accept the uneventful, the mundane, or even the slightly inconvenient as good enough. There’s an undercurrent of empathy here, recognizing the collective grind, the repetitiveness of the workweek, and the universal desire for things to be “not terrible.” Sometimes, surviving the day without disaster or overwhelming stress is worthy of celebration. Winchell’s phrasing carries the dry-witted humor of someone who has seen enough Thursdays to know that while we might wish for the extraordinary, what’s often realistic is far more modest.

There’s also camaraderie in her words: “That’s all any of us can hope for” implies a shared experience. It shrugs off the myth that everyone else is thriving or sparkling with energy and ambition. Instead, it honors the quiet victories, the making-it-to-the-end-of-the-day moments that bind us all. Winchell’s wish for a “tolerable Thursday” suggests humility and authenticity, a gentle reminder to be kind to oneself, to set reasonable expectations, and to find moments of gratitude not only in the peaks but also in simply getting through. Sometimes, permission to simply “tolerate” a day is exactly the encouragement we need.