Have you yet found words to even begin to describe life over the last five or six months? I know I haven’t. It’s unfathomable in so many ways. I remember in the beginning feeling quite sad over the loss of such normal, routine things in our lives: my son actually going to kindergarten, hockey and swimming lessons, going to the gym, daycare for our 15-month-old, traveling, going to church, and so on. I’ve always strived to be a mom that does not create a busy life for her children so they have time to be kids, be home, and play. But even with my best intentions, our life was still very busy!

As the months of quarantine continued, however, I found I missed some of the busyness less and less. Then, when things started to reopen, I felt the same uneasiness about activities and busyness coming back into our lives. Such a catch-22!

In all of this, it has been very clear that we have a unique opportunity to choose what gets put back on our table (or what gets to come back into our lives) as things reopen and some normalcy resumes. Do we need to be involved in so many community activities? Serve on so many boards and committees? Do our children need to play all the sports every day of the week? You have the right to choose, and now is the perfect time.

911 Restoration CEO/Co-Founder Idan Shpizear recently wrote an insightful column about The Undeniable Power of Taking a Break. This industry is prone to burnout; and sadly, also prone to broken families because we get roped into the 24/7 buzz of work. Please take this chance to prioritize and choose your busy; choose carefully what gets to go back on your table.