Last week, I chose work over progress on my characters. To be honest, the work was fun. I conducted interviews and toured advanced manufacturing facilities to get the material I need for an article that’s due this week for the October issue of US Airways Magazine. I also went out to UNC Charlotte to learn about research initiatives, start-ups and early-stage companies that have spun out of the university, and I caught up with what’s going on at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I had a wonderful time.

Of course, I paid the price for being out of the office. Not even 12-hour days were enough to catch up. Time off became work time. And when I finally called it quits for the day, I just wanted to turn off my brain. Janelle and Paul, their families and friends just had to wait.

However, it did make me wonder about my priorities. Life is a constant series of choices, of give and take, of this or that. We make some choices because we feel it is the right thing to do. We make them to be good parents, good friends, good children, good employees. But we also make excuses. Was that trip to the grocery store really necessary, or could we have put together meals from what’s in the cabinets? Could that trip to Target have waited another week? Did I really have to check my email that frequently? Those are “musts” that really aren’t. If something is truly important to us, even if it’s only important for that moment in time, we usually do it.

Last week, I wanted a break from Paul and Janelle. They seemed to be guests that had stayed a little too long. But now I miss them. So, we’ll catch up, and I’ll let you know how it goes.