Vacationing Parents

Well, the knee is acting up today. It a bit weird, because it is more stable (less jello-y), so I can walk better, and with less of a limp, but it's more painful. I'm not sure where the pain is coming from. I went out twice yesterday, once to the doctor, and once to the restaurant, but both times I was dropped at the door and picked up at the door. There was almost no walking. And, the doctor told me I could try to start walking again, but to take it easy, meaning if the pain is too intense, I will need to sit down. He told me to drive to work (no running to catch the train), and to avoid meetings from one building to the next. So given that advice, I hardly think the two outings yesterday should have did me in. Maybe it was the cold weather? Either way, I'm home this entire weekend and have no intentions of leaving, not even once. The little setback is concerning me...I just want the knee to get better as fast as possible.

On another note, my parents are going on vacation for 5 weeks. This is great and I'm happy for them. I like to see them spending time away and bonding, and I love to see that they are going to a warmer destination. My dad despises the cold, which always makes me laugh because at 19, when he was picking a place to move to, and he knew he was leaving a warm place like Pakistan, why on earth did he pick Toronto? It's absolutely freezing here in the winter. Don't get me wrong, I love Toronto, and have no intentions of ever leaving, but it does puzzle me that he ended up choosing to move here when he could have gone anywhere. Especially given how much he hates the cold. Life is funny that way. You never know where you are going to end up.

Not to be selfish, but, while I am really happy to see that my parents will be getting a break, I am also just a little worried about what this will mean for me. My parents help me so much with the pick up/drop off of the children, and while I would normally manage for 5 weeks, the recent intensity with my ex means I cannot rely on him if the need arises. So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. He picks them up Mondays, I work from home Fridays, so those days will be fine. But this means I have to leave the office by 4pm every day and drive home through an hour and a half of traffic to get the children. That means a tight schedule and a shorter work day for 5 weeks. It means a 9:30-4 workday, since I also drop the children off in the morning. Thank God I work in a flexible workplace. It just means I will be bringing the laptop home every single night, and that I will have to plan a few hours of work every night after the children go to sleep. Dinner however, will be another issue. This now means I will have to cook every night, or cook on weekends for the week. Hmmm. I think I'm going to see a large take out bill over the next few weeks. But those are just small inconveniences.

This is another good reminder of how lucky I am to have so much support from the people around me. Little reminders like this are great. They keep us appreciative of those around us who help us and support us, so we don't take them for granted. I am so lucky to have awesome parents, and to have an awesome boss who gives me this kind of flexibility. Just imagine....Other single moms in my situation would probably be panicking right now. I'm just a little inconvenienced. At least I know I would never lose my job, or get in trouble or anything like that. I am fortunate enough to have the luxury of knowing that I can re-jig my schedule, put in some hours at night/weekends, and nobody will care. In fact, it's quite possible that nobody at the office will even notice. I still fully intend to advise my boss of the situation, just so he knows. It's always better to share this kind of information up front, as a courtesy to others.

Anyhow, my dad phoned me today to "ask" if it is ok with me that he takes the 5 weeks away. I was really touched by this gesture. My parents do so much for me, they certainly don't need to ask me for permission to take time away. But it's just that- my dad knows that my ex has been a bit of an ass lately, and that he's giving me a hard time, which means that I can expect little support from him these days. My parents also know that I depend on them a lot for the children's after school routine. My parents are also is a bit concerned about going away, given my recent wipe out with the knee. I was really touched with by the gesture.

"Of course you should go away. I will be absolutely fine. Honest. Please daddy- don't worry about me at all. I'll just move my work schedule around for a few weeks. Nobody will care at the office". And I meant it. Of course he shouldn't worry about me. At the end of the day, the children are my responsibility. "Yes, but your well being is our responsibility". Those were my mothers words. God Bless them both.