I’d use all of my energy carrying 25 toys from NJ to NY to donate to sick kids in the hospital. I was physically drained by lunch.

I whined all afternoon. My left shoulder was tight. My shoulder blade kept spasming and I could feel a dagger in the top of my buttocks when I walked.

Sitting up for hours at work was completely different than lounging on pillows at home. My entire chest was on my desk by 3 p.m.. But, I was there and there was work to be done.

By 5:45, I wanted to swallow pain meds and head straight home but I didn’t. I rushed next door for the mentoring holiday party. I’d exchange emails with my mentee but I hadn’t seen her in person. I really wanted her to know our interactions mattered to me.

I was too stiff to even sit down when I first met up with Emily. I stood next to her as we talked about our common interests like drawing. She showed me her sketch book and the real things in her life that spark her creativity. And, I suggested that together we find a way for to turn her love of visual art into a career.

I shifted uncomfortably repeatedly during the entire conversation. I never explained exactly what was wrong with me. I wanted the focus of our time together to be on her.

As we headed to Penn Station, I felt drained but I was grateful I soldiered on. I thought about something Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

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