A funny thing happened on the way to my hysterectomy

Posted on 7 August, 2017

Well, not so much ‘funny’ as ‘unusual’.

My surgeon phoned, apologetic: she’d injured her hand and couldn’t perform the operation because she had to have surgery herself.

What do you do when your fridge and freezer are stacked, you’ve made enough school lunches for three weeks and your schedule is completely clear…all for a period of being ‘out of action’ that doesn’t transpire?

The week turned out to be a gift. When you find yourself with ‘bonus’ time, the choices feel different. I made more progress in the week, on projects that will make the biggest long-term difference, than I’ve made in months. Mentally, I’d checked out for ‘recovery time’. Doing anything useful felt virtuous, compared with the feet-up-and-Netflix I’d had planned.

I didn’t tell everyone that I was available again. I burrowed in, and wrote part of my next teen novel, due to HarperCollins in December. Audrey and I planned a sequel for I Don’t Have Time and dreamt up some corresponding workshops for roll-out in four cities next month.

I decluttered, including beginning some of the truly emotionally challenging decluttering and repurposing that only those who’ve lost someone close to them can really understand. I went for walks. We found some snow to play in. We baked cookies.

It wasn’t exactly a ‘staycation’, because I was working each day, but there was a sense of freedom to it. It made me realise how valuable ‘down’ weeks like this could be, interspersed more regularly throughout the year. Stocking up and preparing ahead, so you don’t need to cook at all. Cancelling all appointments. Completely emptying your diary, adding in flexibility and choice.

We can do this with smaller chunks of time, too. It’s completely do-able to clear entire weekends, or entire days — to get work finished ahead, shop and cook, prep and freeze the next week’s lunches, wash the uniforms Friday night and have two full days of only adding back in to our time what really feels good.

I wish my surgeon hadn’t injured her hand, and that it was my surgery that was over, rather than hers — but I learnt something about ‘quality time’ because of this. I’d love to hear how you’d spend your time, if you were suddenly gifted an unexpected few days like this.