Monday was an exhausting, exhilarating day for our little bread company. To fulfill our sold-out number of holiday bread orders, I jetted out the door at 4 a.m. to bake the day away, returning home barely in time for dinner. We fed the children, gave them baths and hugs, and focused our efforts like a laser on getting them all to bed—so we could do the same.
Tuesday morning we woke up to a Disaster Zone. Dishes piled high in the sink, laundry mountains rose all around, and worse, my desk and to-do list demanded attention as the specter of holiday expectations creeped in forebodingly.
But outside my window was quite a different scene. It had snowed while I was at work the day before. A peaceful, sunny winter wonderland beckoned.
A silly thought crossed my mind, which I quickly dismissed. There was simply too much work and not enough time to play in the snow today.
But I took a minute and reconsidered, turning my thoughts to my adorable two-year-old little boy, who was alone with me while the others were at school. He’s always a little needy when I return after a long day of work. He’s growing up fast, and I know it won’t be long before he won’t need me as much.
Suddenly the realization occurred—maybe there isn’t time to be "productive" today. But there is time for something better.
So I rounded up our snow clothes, held my little boy in my arms, and asked him the question that I knew would make his day.
“Do you wanna build a snowman?”
Play is the ultimate nexus of creativity, connection, and joy. To fail to take the time to play is to fail to truly live. At Father Time Bread, we believe in the inalienable human right for all humanity to play. Our fight is to take back our time for the people we love, for the cause of joy.
So Tuesday morning, my little boy and I played in the snow. And the choice was well worth it.
