Make the Time
My PTO was supposed to start at 4:00 Wednesday.
At 4:00, I logged off.
At around 8:00...
I actually stopped working.
There were things that needed my attention.
I'm not bitter about it.
It happens.
Being approachable and reliable means sometimes answering when you'd rather not.
But...
It would have been nice.
Yesterday more than made up for it.
We tore the office apart.
Desks moved.
Computers moved.
Five monitors.
Two PCs.
Enough cables to wire a moderately sized government facility.
And somehow...
We're almost done.
Not "making good progress."
Almost done.
My most optimistic prediction was that we'd get the gaming PC completely set up yesterday and spend today tackling the production rig.
Instead?
Both setups are basically finished.
I think I have one thing left to wire.
One.
Then cable management.
Cleanup.
Bins.
Done.
Even my craziest, most optimistic estimate didn't have us this far.
And that wasn't me.
That was us.
My wife was incredible.
Zoey jumped in everywhere we needed her.
Asher contributed by turning my rolling floor mat into a fort and singing while the rest of us worked.
Honestly?
Important role.
I'm unbelievably proud of them.
And thankful.
They took something I expected to consume most of my time off and helped push it further in one day than I thought we could possibly get.
Last night, with cables still scattered everywhere, I sat down at the gaming desk.
Lights low.
Production rig somewhere else.
Nothing in my peripheral vision reminding me of work.
School.
Streaming.
Something I should fix.
Something I could optimize.
I just...
Played.
For the first time in months, I walked away from that desk feeling relaxed.
That's the entire reason we're doing this.
My watch says I then slept for one hour and eleven minutes.
So apparently we're still working on some things.
Today we finish.
One wire.
Cable management.
Cleanup.
Bins.
And if everything keeps going the way it has?
We might be done around lunch.
Tonight, Dad cooks.
Tomorrow, another lesson with the kids followed by the heroic undertaking of getting six people ready for family pictures.
If we survive that successfully, dinner is on me.
Sunday brings church and baseball.
Only one game, thankfully.
The doubleheader comes next week.
Then Monday comes back around.
It always does.
We're all busy.
We all watch pieces of our time disappear into things that need us.
That's life.
But the things we need don't always demand our attention quite as loudly.
Rest.
Family.
Friends.
A game.
A quiet room.
A moment to breathe.
Make the time.
And if you can't find it?
Force it.
Time has a funny way of filling itself if we don't decide what some of it is for. There will always be another message, project, cable, chore, assignment, or responsibility willing to take whatever space we give it. Yesterday also reminded me that I don't have to carry all of those things alone. My family took a project I thought would consume most of my time off and pushed it further in one day than I thought possible. And when we were done, I got to sit in the space we'd created together and simply enjoy it. Sometimes we need to deliberately protect a little room for the people we love and the things that help us feel like ourselves again. Whatever that is for you, make the time. Hell, force it if you have to.
Much love.
Stay safe.
Wash your damn hands.
And I will see you, next time.
