Room for emergencies

In my post yesterday about cutting down on overwhelming busyness, I toyed with the idea of saying something along the lines of this:

Part of the reason for avoiding a completely full schedule 

is to save space in my schedule for emergencies.

Jinx.

I hit the "publish" button, went to work, came home.  That very night, J-son was tooling around on his bike while paying attention to everything that was not his bike, when he crashed.  We got a call from a very nice neighbor who'd bandaged up the hurt ankle and sent him home.  No broken bones, but there is a gash.  I spent the evening pampering him, keeping him off the foot, and wondering quietly in the back of my head whether it's worth going to the emergency room for stitches.  We decided butterfly bandages and some iPod time (with feet up in the air) would probably do the trick instead.

But what I didn't do was fret over a big pile of work that I'd brought home.  And I didn't worry about getting further behind on Project X while I doled out ice packs and hugs and reassurances.  Why not?  Because for once this month, I didn't bring a big pile of work home.  I hadn't really intended to play nursemaid, but at least I had the time and the brain to change roles once I had to.

Poor kid. Glad I was there.