This year, I’m finally choosing home over work, something I’ve not allowed myself to do in years.
I’m choosing home.
Not the rushed version of home where you’re barely there between shifts.
Not the guilty version of home where you’re checking your phone hoping that no one calls out, and you get asked (more like guilt tripped) into coming in.
Not the exhausted version of home where you collapse onto the bed the second you walk in the door.
This year, I’m choosing my daughter.
I’m choosing rest.
I’m choosing the quiet comfort of our space.
I’m choosing a meal we didn’t have to rush.
I’m choosing Stranger Things Season 5, blankets, snacks, and laughter.
I’m choosing presence.
And most of all…
I’m choosing myself.
The Guilt That Comes With being a caregiver
If you’re in healthcare, you know the feeling.
That subtle-but-heavy guilt that comes whenever a holiday rolls around.
The pressure to be “the team player.”
The unspoken expectation that someone needs to step up.
The quiet voice inside you saying:
“If I don’t do it, who will?”
For years, that voice won.
It convinced me that choosing work over home made me a good nurse.
That sacrificing my time proved my dedication.
That saying “no” was selfish or wrong.
That choosing to stay home on my off day, instead of coming in when someone called out, somehow made me a bad person.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
We’re not meant to sacrifice our families, our sanity, or our joy every single time someone else calls out.
We’re allowed to choose home.
Photo by Joao Macedo on Unsplash
Choosing My Daughter, Choosing Myself
My daughter has watched me work holiday after holiday.
She’s seen me come home exhausted, worn out, and drained from giving everything I had to everyone else.
This year, I want her to see something different:
A mom who chooses moments.
A mom who chooses rest.
A mom who chooses her.
We’re going to curl up on the couch, get cozy, and binge Season 5 of Stranger Things, then move on to Squid Game.
We’re going to laugh, snack, talk, pause the show, rewind parts we loved, and just be together.
No rushing.
No guilt.
No wondering if the phone is going to ring asking me to come in.
Just home.
Just us.
Just peace.
choosing Home Is Not Selfish — It’s Sacred
I’m finally learning that choosing home isn’t selfish.
It’s sacred.
It’s a declaration that my life matters too.
That my time is valuable.
That my daughter deserves these moments.
And that I don’t have to set myself on fire to keep a workplace warm.
This holiday, I’m not choosing guilt.
I’m not choosing obligation.
I’m choosing home.
And honestly…
I think this might be the start of choosing myself in more ways than one.
What areas of your life have you been putting on hold?