Author's note: This is a re-post from my Facebook post from June 2019 while I was on my leave of absence from work.
Barely less than a week is left before my sabbatical comes to an end. I wanted and did plan to take time off work. I felt the need to have a breather after 20+ years of working. I did not expect that it will happen under very different circumstances.
My leave of absence began after the 2019 Holy Week holidays. It was carefully planned to coincide with the period of our daughter's spine fusion operation and recuperation. Kyla has been diagnosed with severe idiopathic scoliosis and despite non-surgical treatments that were taken in the last 4 years, it became imperative to take the last course which is surgery to prevent the curve from worsening and adversely impact the other body systems as she gets older. Prior to the operation, I researched thoroughly on what to expect before, during and after the surgery so that we can prepare Kyla and ourselves mentally, physically among other things. I realized that she will need much of our assistance after the operation especially while she is regaining back her strength and muscular mobility, and while many restrictions on movements apply. We were home-based for the entire summer, except when we have to visit the doctors. We were not even allowed to take road trips, so life during my sabbatical wasn't exactly a holiday of sorts. The Rehab doctor prescribed exercises that she can do at home while the rest of hospital-based Physical Therapy can start after 10-12 weeks post-op and upon clearance from the Ortho. It is a blessing from God that her spirit and rest of her body remained healthy and strong because this made her road to recovery faster.
My daily routine was running through Kyla's home-based exercises, attending to her self care needs and balance of the day went to domestic chores. Our family has been thriving without any household help for a long time now so we divide all chores among us, except for Kyla while she is recovering these days. At the early days post-operation, caring for Kyla was like caring for a newborn all over again and I happily fussed over her and Kevin like a mother hen. As Kyla got stronger, we started training her to be able to execute tasks independently. It required a lot of task analysis and planning. My WPI (work process improvement) background came handy.
For quite some time I was simply their full-time mother again and not the multi-tasking working mom. They didn't have to share my attention with my work laptop or work-related phone calls. Every afternoon, Kyla and I hang out at the lanai area which is cooler and breezy. We would take short walks as part of her daily exercise program. We would chat idly about mundane things. Sometimes, I digress and talk about serious things like life in college, self esteem in the time of social media and spirituality. Sometimes, Kevin will join us and we would sit at the bench while waiting for the moon to appear. The hours passed by slowly and I savored the time we had together, knowing that at some point I had to go back to my work and home life routine.
My health also improved significantly without the day to day stress and with better food choices at home. My usual bouts of migraine and back pain disappeared. Most of all I had a lot of time for introspection. I thought about my life so far, grateful for the twist and turns of life, the choices we made, the divinely orchestrated events that life laid ahead of us. I thought deeply about my goals and it's overall place in the grand scheme of events and anticipating how in 12 months time, our lives will have to take a different direction. I prayed for guidance and discernment. One time I couldn't sleep and somehow, the answers to my questions were revealed to me in a moment of rumination. I wasn't too happy with the revelation but I promised to keep faith and trust His will. Someday, the dots will connect and the wisdom behind the path laid upon me will be revealed.
Barely less than a week is left before my sabbatical comes to an end. Forever grateful for the graces that Kyla has been bestowed in this journey of courage, thankful for the time we had together before I go back to my usual multi-tasking life.
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