Staycation Sensation

In my adult life, I've heard many elders say that they never took a day off in their life. While that's admirable, I don't think it's necessarily a good idea. I'm sure you've also heard someone say that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. Again, I understand the sentiment, but I also think taking an occasional break from work is a good thing to do.

My Mom and Stepdad were in town for Labor Day weekend over the last few days, and I decided to take an extra day off (yesterday) on the long weekend to spend a little more time with them before they headed back east this morning. My body and mind more than appreciated the 4 days away from the daily grind, and I'm ever so grateful that I got to spend them with loved ones.

That extra day off turned out to be extra special for me, because I was able to ride with Faith both to and from school for the first time since...actually I don't think I've ever been able to ride with her in the morning due to my normal work schedule:

Photo credit: Mom 

Side note, my stepdad also joined us for the rides. This sort of thing wasn't commonplace where I grew up, so he was understandably eager to join as well. It was a beautiful day to boot. We were among the first to arrive in the morning, when there were many fewer bikes at the bike rack than there were in the afternoon:

I almost never get to see this in person, and it's quite flooring to see so many kids riding bikes to school. I freaking love it. Before we moved, Faith was the cool kid who rode her bike to school. Now, she's just normal (which is fine). Still, I'm glad I got to finally share at least one full commute with her. These little moments can't be taken for granted.

We had a few other family rides throughout the weekend. The favourite by far was a morning trek to Jolly Pirate for some indulgences:

None of them were quite as fulfilling as the simplest of rides to and from the school, though. And neither of those would have happened if I hadn't taken a day off. Basically, life can be pretty crazy sometimes, so make sure you take time for yourself, and your family.