Chance over chores

On Sunday night, my phone rang, which it always does when someone's calling me. I mean, always. Every...single...time. It's really spooky.

On the other end of the line was Hans (or at least someone claiming to be Hans. You never can be too sure these days) with an incredible offer: skip work on Tuesday and go ride roller coasters at Six Flags America.

My mind whirred. I'm already taking next week off of work, and we're working on a huge deadline that arrives in early July. I wanted nothing more than to play hooky and ride coasters with Hans, but that voice in my head kept repeating the list of responsibilities and to-dos. I couldn't make it. Not this month. Not right now.

I knew I had made the right decision, but it still hurt to make it. It wasn't just because I was missing a chance at coaster riding with one of my best friends, but because I had made a promise to myself years ago that I wouldn't talk myself out of time with friends and family.

It was when I was laid off from my job in Alexandria in the spring of 2001 that fun-over-work became clear. It was an underpaid job, but feelings of responsibility kept me at the office late hours, and I passed up a lot. Losing that job made me realize that the company will always do what's right for it, so dammit, I was going to do what was right for me. When I started my next job, I almost talked myself out of going to a friend's wedding in Oregon because I was too busy and it was too expensive, but I shrugged it off and went. And had an amazing time. And was laid off again 7 months later.

It's so easy to tell ourselves that we're too busy or too tired or don't have enough money or it's too complicated to take a trip, spend time with family, date someone, go out to dinner. Just about anything can be justified against. And inevitably, we regret it. Yes, we're busy, but it's worth it taking the time off for a unique opportunity. It's still worth pulling yourself up to go out. It's worth cobbling together some money for a unique opportunity. It's always worth it.

All that stuff went through my mind on Sunday—that I should shrug off a single day of work for some coaster time—but it was just too much. I'm still not entirely sure that I made the right decision, but in that moment, the responsible world was just looming too large to ignore. But I still need to remind myself that it has to be huge to ever make this kind of decision again. The work world is a lot more forgiving than we think.

Hans: I swear, man. It really is the problem with June. Later this summer: hooky for coasters. I want to see you sleep on Superman again.