The Day Off

156 diapers, 212 bottles/sippy cups served and washed, countless tantrums, and a couple of floor mops due to potty training errors are calculations I’ve done consecutively since my last “day off.”  I do enjoy all of this, even the sucky parts but in order to take care of Cydney I have to take care of myself.  Before moving back to New York I’ve spent about the last two years taking care of my fiancee during her pregnancy and chemo treatments as well as my daughter without much regard to myself.  While taking care of my family was my first priority I’m pretty sure not doing so has had some adverse effects.

With that said, I took a quick day and a half to go to Washington DC.  My alma mater Morehouse College football team was in town playing in their annual “Nation’s Classic” against Howard University.  While in the grand scheme of college football this game and these teams are not the most exciting to watch our schools it is a big deal to us that attended these schools.  A lot of alumnae come from all over to see each other, have a good time, along with Spelman College on our side brag about which school is better (they’re all academic and historically black colleges/universities), and let your children know where they will be attending when they go to college.

My fiancee and I attended Spelman and Morehouse College respectively. Our colleges aren’t just institutions of higher learning but they’re a fraternity and sorority as well.  When my fiancee passed away the people that reached out the most were people from school some of who we’d talked to regularly but most not in years offering condolences, support, and even started a fund raiser for my girl while she was undergoing treatments.  Going to the game was a good way to catch up with a lot of people who were there for us along the way and still have been checking and praying for Cydney and myself.

I got back yesterday evening feeling a little refreshed and a sense of clarity on a lot of smaller things in my personal life which is always how we hope to come home from a day off.  As soon as I got back home it was all smiles and time to watch Dora the Explorer.