Permission for a Day Off

Today was a dear friend’s birthday. She had asked me to take the afternoon off for a quick trip up to Napa to have lunch and taste some champagne. I planned on working a little extra this weekend to allow for the time to celebrate my wonderful friend. Unbeknown to me, I would get a case of food poisoning over the weekend. Though not the worst thing ever, it left me feeling drained and wanting to sleep (and rehydrate). So, the plan of completing extra work went by the wayside. In fact, just getting my scheduled work done also went by the wayside. So here I am, Monday morning, scheduled to leave with my friend, and I feel completely overwhelmed, just by looking at my email. I get up early, complete as much as I can, and decide honoring my friend is still the most important thing. I see a million more emails come in as I am driving . I get phone calls from patients. I feel like a dog chasing a squirrel with how fast my mind is going. I didn’t get this done, I didn’t get that done. My house needs to be cleaned. My mental list is piling up. All the while I am trying to be present with my friend, and enjoy the day despite the pitfalls. I wasn’t really winning the battle.

Either way, I was in Napa, can’t do my work, and had a choice. I chose to leave my phone in the car and get on with the day. Technology can be like electronic guilt reminding you that you aren’t doing your work. I spent a few moments grounding myself before we went into the winery, and decided today was my friend’s day. Work will be there when I get home. It is a challenge as a business owner to think that you always have to be there, that you have to give 110%, that you aren’t ever going to get sick and get behind. Yet I also realized, my friend has done much to help me succeed. She has been there when I needed support and motivation to keep going. She is someone who has known me since medical school, who has watched me grow and become who I am now.

Once I stopped to think about all the amazing things she has done for, it made it so much easier to get grounded in my choice, and enjoy my day. I am so glad I didn’t make the choice to stay home and work all day. I got to support and give a friend love on her day of birth, and for that alone I am so glad I gave myself permission. I’m sure this won’t be the first or the last time that I battle with giving myself permission to play and enjoy life, but I do hope that I make to same decision again.

What will you give yourself permission to do today?