Scared Bunny

There are 168 hours in every week.

56 of those hours are spent asleep. To be honest my wife and I wish there were more of those hours.

I spend 48 of those hours at work or driving to and from work.

56 of those hours are spent with my wife and me caring for and playing with one or more of our kids.

That leaves 8 hours. Those 8 hours are the most precious time I have in every week.

For 8 hours every week my world consists of just my wife and myself. We spend this time talking and relaxing. We spend this time laughing and playing. Sometimes we will just sit quietly and read or watch a movie. Other times we just lie in each other’s arms and enjoy the closeness and quiet. Often we doze as we lay close together on the couch. Whatever we do, though, it is the only time that we are truly able to set aside the rest of the world. There are times during those 8 hours that my wife and I are truly the only people on earth. There are times that not an inkling of my past, present or imagined future problems exist.

During those 8 hours the world as I know it is one of pure peace and love. Those who would try to hurt my wife, myself or our relationship simply cease to exist. There are times that the fears that go along with raising 3 children aren’t overwhelming. For those 8 hours I am able to live in the moment instead of the past. For those 8 hours I am able to imagine the future that is possible with my wonderful wife instead of the life of pain and loneliness I had assumed was my destiny for years.

There are times I have to sacrifice some of those 8 hours. When you have a wife and children, there are needs that must be met that cannot wait or be rescheduled. When you have other family members you love that have needs, sometimes you have to give-up some of your time, and for those reasons there is no question that we make the sacrifice.

But when someone intrudes on those 8 hours with nonsense it breaks my heart. Losing that time is like losing a part of my soul. I know that my wife and I have a lifetime together, but what people don’t understand is the profound sense of loss I feel when I lose a moment with her. Maybe I am a fatalist, but the truth is I realize we never know how long we have. So while some look at that 8 hours and say it’s just 8 hours out of the hundreds of thousands a person lives, I look at that time realizing I may not have hundreds of thousands.

Life is far too fragile. I just can’t take any time I have for granted. I have already wasted so much of my life and I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to look at every minute of the rest of my life as something precious to be treasured. And the time with my wife and children is more precious than any other time I have or ever will have.

So if I am rude and ignore your call, I am sorry. I understand that nobody else can feel what I feel about my family and my marriage. Maybe I am being selfish when it comes to those 8 hours, but while I am willing to sacrifice for my family, I would not trade a moment of those 8 hours for anyone or anything. No amount of money is worth what those 8 hours per week mean to me. Nothing you could offer me would be worth what that time is worth to me. Because nothing you have or ever will have has half the value my wife has to me.