𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐏𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐓𝐎

This morning, as my son and niece were washing and clipping their show sheep, I found myself reflecting back on a “sacrifice” I made just over a year ago — a sacrifice that nobody noticed or cared about.

Two and a half months before my position was eliminated, my daughter got married. The day before the wedding was full of bustle: building bouquets, stringing lights, arranging tables just so. But as the father of the bride, I found myself doing a lot of sitting.

Since my hands were free, I took charge of a weeks-old baby so her mother could craft floral arrangements and dialed into a work conference call. We were in the middle of sorting out a line of feeds that needed fixing — same corporate dance: plenty of words, a few action items, and another meeting booked.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that no one told my boss I’d joined that call on my day off. Nobody cared I was using my PTO to keep the ball rolling. And in the end, that sacrifice didn’t protect my job one bit.

It was my choice to dial in: I thought my perspective was needed. But over a year later, my comments and input from that call meant nothing. I should have been out back laughing with the wedding party, not fretting about feed formulas.

Here’s a reminder for all of us: when we’re on PTO, let’s actually 𝘣𝘦 on PTO.

As I sit here reflecting on both my daughter’s beautiful wedding and that conference call, I can’t help but wonder: how often do we feel we’re more essential to the workplace than we really are?