/LOGS/BLOG_POST: EIGHT_DAYS DATE........ June 2, 2026 AUTHOR...... Eric CATEGORY.... Personal Log STATUS...... Archived
Tomorrow my wife has surgery.
Because of that, I took the next eight days off work.
Technically, I only had to take five.
The schedule lined up in one of those rare moments where the universe accidentally does something useful. Between my regular days off and the days I requested, it created an eight-day stretch away from work.
Normally that sentence would be followed by exciting plans involving camping, geocaching, road trips, questionable food choices, and the sort of outdoor adventures that end with someone saying, "I think we're lost."
Not this time.
This week is about making sure my wife gets through surgery and has whatever she needs afterward.
Reality has a funny way of rearranging priorities.
One minute you're thinking about what you'd like to do with eight consecutive days off. The next minute you're learning more about post-operative recovery than you ever intended to know.
The thing nobody tells you about being married is that eventually life becomes a series of shifts where you take turns carrying the load.
Sometimes you're the one who needs help. Sometimes you're the one giving it.
Tomorrow it's my turn.
The next several days will probably involve medication schedules, doctor instructions, extra trips to the store, helping around the house, and making sure she doesn't try to do things she's supposed to be recovering from.
I fully expect at least some of those instructions to be ignored.
That appears to be a universal law of marriage.
Still, I'm grateful for the time.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to step away from work when family needs them. For once, the calendar worked in my favor.
The camping gear can wait. The geocaches will still be there. Work will survive without me.
Right now, the only thing that matters is helping her get through surgery and back on her feet.
Everything else can wait eight days.
[root@ericbox ~]# family_first
Process running.