Making Time for Once in a Lifetime Events
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
About a year ago, I was looking through my son’s school vacation schedule and entering his vacation days on my calendar. On April 8, 2024, I noticed a unique day off designation: Total Solar Eclipse. I was intrigued. The school district is giving all the kids a day off for an eclipse? How marvelous!
One of the major shifts I’ve seen post Covid is the way we seem to be valuing and prioritizing once in a lifetime events more now. Prior to Covid, for my entire life, most of us operated as if perfect attendance would get us ahead in life. Going to school and work seemed like the absolute number one priority. Even if I was sick, I made myself go to work, and my sick coworkers would show up as well. People didn’t take all of their vacation days. They only took days off in case of emergencies. And even then, they made themselves reachable. Heck, Greg McKeown talks about how he was doing work during the birth of one of his children.
Then came Covid, and kids exposed to the virus had to stay home for many days at a time. Perfect attendance, for the first time in my life, took a back seat to keeping others safe. And you know what? The world kept turning. My kid has had to stay home for a week or more at a time due to exposure a couple of times in the last few years, and he’s fine. He’s not behind. He’s still learning. This mandatory demolition of perfect attendance has caused me and, I believe, others to more highly value making time not just for health but also for experiencing once in a lifetime events.
I applaud our school district for giving kids the day off for the solar eclipse. Many businesses are also closing or closing early today. I’m now much more likely to pull my kid from school for trips for loved one’s birthdays or other special events. I’m sure there were many children and parents who missed a day of school and work if the Taylor Swift tour came to their area on a school night. I remember I took a day off from work for the royal wedding of William and Kate, and I still remember how much fun it was to watch the coverage live throughout the day. Weddings, funerals, graduations, special concerts, memorable national events, parades if your local sport team wins a championship – these are the events that make a life.
Once in a lifetime and special events are memory makers. They’re probably going to be the thoughts we reminisce on when we come to the end of our lives, not our perfect attendance hours at school or work. Today is one of those special days. The moon will cover the sun around 3:15pm today, and you can bet my family and I will have our special glasses on at that time, staring at the sky, and making a memory.
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Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team