Some of us are already back in the classroom. Others, like me, are about to start the school year after the Labour Day long weekend. Whether you’ve already begun or not, it’s a busy time of year, and the last thing any of us feel like we have is an extra minute. But I’m here to remind you, and more importantly, remind myself, that it’s important that we take the minute!

As I write there words, it’s Friday evening of the long weekend. Today was my last official day of holidays despite the fact that I’ve been in my classroom every single day other than today for the past two weeks. I worked long hours getting everything ready for my students, and once I got home, I dove into edits for my book while juggling my boys’ hockey camps. Needless to say, I’ve been busy.

This morning, I woke up, brushed my teeth, got dressed in my running gear, and headed out for a slow 18k (or just over 11mi) run. By the time I got back home and showered, it was already 11am. I had a lot to do before we could leave for camping, and didn’t stop until 2pm. You see, when we get back from this last camping trip of the year, summer will officially be over, and we’ll all be back at school with hockey every evening. Today, I not only had to make sure that we were packed for camping, but also that everything was in order for the new school year (for myself and for my four school-aged boys). At 2, once I was finally done my to-do list (well, most of it… I didn’t get around to cleaning my bathrooms and I did bring some school work with me camping), my husband had also just finished his. We’d said we’d leave as soon as we were ready, so it was time to go. But I was tired and grouchy. I longed for a nap, or for a bowl of ice cream. I hadn’t sat down yet and I was physically and mentally exhausted from the day already. A long run like that takes a lot out of me, and I hadn’t had a minute to catch my breath. I asked my husband if I could run to 7eleven to get a Slurpee before we hit the road. He wasn’t impressed because he just wanted to leave for camping, but I decided that taking a break for myself was a necessity. I grabbed my car keys and left before he could stop me, and I’m so glad I did.

We ended up leaving at 2:30 instead of 2. 30 minutes later. In the grand scheme of things, 30 minutes heading into a long weekend camping trip was nothing. It was truly nothing. But it was everything to me.

This is something I need to remember, especially heading into the busy season of school start up. And chances are, if I need this reminders, other probably do, too.

Next time you need a minute, take it. I promise you, you’ll be glad you did.