Balance- You’ll Never Regret Spending Time with Your Loved Ones

Posted on by Ipuna Black

There are certain days that I will never forget working as a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). My experiences helped me to prioritize. I’m definitely not perfect at it, but I believe balance is important in life. Remember that word regret? You don’t want to regret not cultivating important areas of your life. Here is a situation that happened to me in the hospital that has always reminded me to remember to spend time with my loved ones ❤️ .

Child in the Hospital

The phone rings in the busy PICU. The unit secretary picks it up.

“We have a toddler coming to the floor. He passed out. That’s the only history we have,” the secretary says.

Minutes later, the doors fly open, and a purple, unconscious, toddler is rushed into Room 1. Feet shuffle. Doors slam. Voices shout. A nurse drags the crash cart into the room. Another nurse starts compressions. The respiratory therapist gives the toddler oxygen through an Ambu Bag.

The toddler is cold. Purple. Swollen. And lifeless.

The father of the child is the only person with him. The father shouts, “I’m sorry, Bubba. Please wake up. I’ll take you to ride your bike. I’ll take you to the mountains. I’ll take you to get ice-cream.” Choked tears mute his voice.

Bubba never wakes up. He doesn’t ride his bike with Dad. He doesn’t go to the mountains with Dad. He doesn’t get ice-cream with Dad. He gets covered with a white sheet.

Lesson from Bubba

Life gets busy. We have bills to pay. Mouths to feed. Goals to achieve. These are all necessary and worthy causes. Please keep in mind balance. I once had a friend tell me that she imagines balance like a juggler. You have family as one ball, significant other as another, goals as another, work as another, children as another, school as another, etc. If you spend too much time and energy on one ball, the rest will fall. 

You will never regret the time you spend with your loved ones. ❤️

dried-rose-1668600_1280
Photo credit: Pixabay

P.S. We never found out why Bubba died. 😥 The parents had to receive answers through an autopsy.

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43 thoughts on “Balance- You’ll Never Regret Spending Time with Your Loved Ones”

  7. Such a sad story, but I’m sure it’s one that happens more often than we like. It strikes me because here in Southeast Asia, the work culture is such that we’re expected to work late nights and weekends (without any compensation), and especially when one is trying to get a promotion. I’ve seen a few workaholics who are always on the computer; what about their family? 😦

    By the way, I don’t remember if I said this (“Squirrel!” Syndrome yet again!), but thanks for your work as a nurse! ❤

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    1. I love this insight. I’m half Korean, so I completely understand the drive to feel like you have to work around the clock! Squirrel Syndrome!!! So true! And you are welcome on the nurse. It is very rewarding.

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    1. Oristel, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️​ I think sometimes it is the little “stories” “glimpses” “times in our life” that can can teach us the greatest lessons of what really matters. We have been through a lot, so I think we understand that.

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  10. I love your friend’s analogy, it’s very striking. Also, poor Bubba! I got goosebumps reading this story>

    Today I had a chat with my client and he said we tend to forget what we have as long as everything’s okay. Which is true: we forget about our health when it is fine, we forget about spending time on family and loved ones when they’re doing fine. But when they’re not, that’s when we get bolted into being awake. Often too late. Really good post, Ipuna.

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    1. So true. I had that little scare when my son was critical. I don’t have my high paced career right now, but I get to spend a lot of time with my kids. I will never regret that. Your words mean a lot. Thank you!

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  11. Brought to tears by empathy. For some reason, I started calling my two -year-old, Bubba. Now that he is attending UCSB, my rescue dog has taken on the nickname. I am forever reminded by the hundreds of photos of my children that to be an at-home-mom is the ultimate blessing.

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    1. Thank you! I appreciate your words. Gosh, that had to be hard reading this when you nicknamed your son Bubba! ❤️​ I wrote this because I’m currently a stay-at-home mom as of January. I struggle with it at times, especially because I have a PhD in Nursing. I feel like I should be doing “more.” I have to remind myself that I get to be with my kids and guiding them every step of the way. That is enough. There is always time for “more.” My kids won’t be at home forever. ❤️​Thanks for reading. Love that your rescue dog has taken over Bubba. That’s great! I wish your big boy the best at UCSB. They grow up fast!

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      1. Thank you for your reply, Ipuna. Knowing of the years that one must dedicate to earn a PhD, I can understand why you have that “more” feeling. My son, Jacob, was born in November 1989, three months shy of my 30th birthday. Straight away, I joined a Mommy and Me social group that had 15 other new at-home-moms, that made the transition easier. My daughter, Emily, was born four years later. It would be seven years before I re-entered the work force, but the memories of those years have become priceless. I knew of a day when they would leave the nest, but I did not know it would feel like they took a piece of my heart with them. Health and happiness to you and your family.

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        1. That was wise to joining the Mommy and My social group. Having the right support makes the world of a difference. I’m not looking forward to a piece of my heart leaving when my kids move out! Thank you for sharing. We love our kids, don’t we! 🙂 Health and happiness to you and your beautiful family as well.

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  12. What a heartbreaking story. Gosh, it must have been difficult for you to see cases like this. But you’re right. We really must learn to balance things. You’ve given me an idea. I’m going to add it to my drafts before I forget.
    This is great.

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