You don’t get credit for slowing down in life, but you should

My husband stayed home from work the other day. He wasn’t feeling very well.  Days like this are hard for me and my Type-A personality.

When my husband has the day off, he doesn’t understand that I don’t have the day off. He’s so laid-back and spontaneous. I wish I were more like him.

But I’m not.

So when he asked if I wanted to watch a movie with him and do other things, I seriously had to recalibrate. I had a list (of course) that needed done to be ready for my trip the next day.  HELLO. Speaking in 2 days. And coordinating an MRI for our son.

It reminded me of this article I read the other day about Type-A personalities which describes me to a T. (does anyone know what that saying really means?)

As I ran to the store for Ryan’s medicine, fresh fruit and lunch for Henry and I, I thought about how my heart rate was elevated trying to fit it all in before I had to get Piper to her two hours of day care that the afternoon, and how if I couldn’t get it all in did I want to take my precious writing hours to finish up the errands, and yada yada yada.

I had to take a deep breath and remind myself while Type-A personalities and the world at large doesn’t give awards for resting or taking time out from accomplishing to nurture relationships, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.

In fact, the opposite is quite true. In a speech I was privileged to attend a few months ago, Arianna Huffington spoke about how running herself ragged ended with a fractured cheekbone when she collapsed from fatigue in her bathroom. It inspired her to write her book Thrive – – which may or may not encourage self-care. I’m not sure because while I’m not ready to be driven by my list again, I’m also not ready to be challenged to slow down!

But for this day, I decided the writing could wait. The list, and everything on it, could wait a few hours til when the kids descended the bus stairs and rushed the house for afternoon snacks, homework, and dinner. In the quiet hours when we were almost childless, I would throw out the list and nurture one of my most important relationships.

I’m so glad I did.