Taking the long view

Have you ever noticed that there is never a good time for anything?  This sentiment mainly comes up (at least in my experience) when people wring their hands about when to start a family.   The advice is to start whenever, because there never has been, nor will ever be, the "perfect" time.  Or even a good time.

Time is just time.

Although I joke on the blog, life has yet to settle down for us, even since G got out here.  As fate would have it, I didn't need to travel for work until he moved here, and then I needed to travel frequently at first.  In the midst of that, I decided to schedule this trip to see family and surprise Gama for her birthday.

And the thing is, now is not a good time.

But the thing is, sometimes you just have to take the long view and ask yourself, what can I do so that I won't regret this in 10 years?  20 years?  And the answer, for me, was just to go.  Schedule a plane ticket, take some vacation time, make G a single parent...and go.  Work will still be here when I get back.  Orca will still be old & cancerous & high maintenance.  The laundry will be piled up and so will the dishes and so will the bills.  Because that's my life.

There are many things that I screw up, but in general, I'm a pro at taking the long view.  I consider it a spiritual gift (Is it tied to faith?  Discernment?  I dunno.).  The Bible frequently mentions that our days are numbered, and somehow I just get it.  We aren't guaranteed anything.  Which makes the good things worth celebrating, and if you don't pause and celebrate them, they don't wait for you.  They disappear.

And time runs out.

One thing I can say about when Papa died, and the years since then: I have no regrets.  None.  I want that to be the case with Gama, too.  I can't wait to see the look on her face tomorrow!