Worth the Day
Life has a funny way of making sure time off is earned.
It's Labor Day.
Three-day weekend.
Mom came down to visit.
The plan was pretty simple.
Relax.
Spend some time together.
Catch our breath.
Saturday morning, I took the kids out for a while so my wife could meet a friend for coffee.
We had just settled around a picnic table and were getting ready to enjoy some family time when my phone rang.
Mom.
It was about 10:30.
She was having an allergic reaction.
She had used her EpiPen.
Family time changed immediately.
Pack it up.
Everybody in the SUV.
We're going home.
An ambulance would have taken somewhere around 45 minutes to reach her.
We were about 25 minutes away.
So we went.
The next five and a half hours were spent with Mom in the emergency room.
Thankfully...
Everything was okay.
That's really the most important sentence in this entire post.
Everything was okay.
By the time we got home, though, I was drained.
Completely.
It wasn't the Saturday we'd planned.
The kids didn't get the afternoon we'd started.
Mom certainly didn't get the relaxing visit she came down for.
But that's okay.
I would rather lose a day than lose someone I love.
Every single time.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, my kids got another lesson that I don't think needs a lecture attached to it.
They watched the plans disappear.
Nobody debated whether what we were doing was more fun.
Nobody asked whether we could finish first.
Grandma needed us.
So we went.
Family comes first.
Sometimes the best way to teach that is simply to let your children watch you live it.
Which makes me especially thankful for today.
Labor Day.
No work.
No meetings.
No school.
Nothing particularly ambitious planned.
Just a chance to recover some of the energy Saturday took from us.
Rest.
A few things around the house.
Family.
Maybe absolutely nothing for a while.
That sounds pretty good.
Tomorrow, everything starts again.
Work.
School.
Calendars.
Meetings.
Life being life.
But not today.
If you have today off, I hope you use at least some of it for yourself.
Rest.
Have some fun.
Spend time with somebody you love.
Do something that takes your mind completely away from work.
Or do absolutely nothing.
Because plans change.
Phones ring.
Life happens.
And we don't always get to choose when.
Today?
Rest while you can.
You've probably earned it.
Days off don't always go according to plan, and sometimes the things that interrupt them are far more important than whatever we intended to do. Saturday reminded me that a lost afternoon is a very small price to pay for being there when someone you love needs you. Today, I'm grateful that Mom is okay, grateful that my kids got to see what putting family first actually looks like, and grateful for one more day to catch our breath before the week begins again.
Much love.
Stay safe.
Wash your damn hands.
And I will see you, next time.
