A Special Treat on Friday
I crawled out of bed at about 10:15 a.m. on Friday morning (I had worked some overtime on Thursday night from 6 p.m. til 2 a.m.–so I wasn’t just being a lazy slug!) The phone rang within minutes.
My daughter, a senior in high school, asked if I could pick her up early from school.
“How early?” I asked.
“Now?” she replied. We spent a minute talking about what classes she’d be missing. Satisfied that she wasn’t trying to skip out on a test or homework assignment she had failed to complete, I agreed to pick her up.
On the drive home she said, “We should play Scrabble or cribbage.”
I thought of the things I had planned to do before laying down for a nap in the afternoon (I had to go back to work at 6 p.m. for my normal shift). If I played games with Beth I would have to give up my writing and treadmill time. But time with Beth… now that’s special.
“Sounds wonderful!” I replied.
We laughed and talked for two hours while playing Scrabble (she kicked my butt), cribbage (I smoked her) and a tie-breaker game of Phase 10 (I should have made her stay at school).
Sure I missed out on a few things but I got so much more.
At one point in my life I was a strict schedule follower. I loved schedules and took pride in checking off items on my “to do” list. I still do, but I’m letting myself relax and enjoy the world of spontaneity. It’s a lot of fun.
So the next time someone tries to “steal you away” for an hour or two, let them.
