Ignore the Calendar and Set Your Own Holidays
People get sick on holidays, weekends, birthdays, Tuesdays – ok, every day. Admittedly, when Aaron was on trauma and taking care of victims of preventable accidents there were times I felt like the Disney superhero Mr. Incredible (remember, I have young kids) during the opening scene when he declared, “Can’t the world just stay saved!” I can’t tell you how many times I had that thought throughout his training. Can’t people just stay at home, in bed at 2 am and not shoot or stab each other and let my husband come home! Can’t the world just stay saved!
Sorry for the digression – where was I headed? Oh, right, holidays. So the reality is, the world is not going to stay saved and regardless of what specialty your spouse has chosen, there will be patients and patient’s families who need his help.
Everyday.
Because of that, I quickly learned that Christmas on December 25th is overrated. Santa Clause is just as happy to come a few days early and our kids never had a problem opening presents before all of their friends. Most years, my husband had to work all or most of the major holidays. I could either sit home feeling sorry for myself because he missed Thanksgiving dinner, or we could just eat it the next day. This is an easy one folks! Yet so many people have a hang up with it. If you are going to be married to a doctor, you will most likely have to accept that just because a little box on a calendar has a preprinted holiday listed, does not mean that has to dictate your level of expectation or disappointment. If your extended family has a problem celebrating on a different day, you can try to help them understand (see Tip #2) and then let them know you are sorry you will not be able to join them. {Lesson 9}
