Nothing puts life back into perspective like a car accident or a sick child.

Let me explain.

The BadAssMama has been off of her A-game lately. Not because of mommy guilt, sleep deprivation or overexertion but due to an acute case of professional political BS. I won't bother going into detail, but suffice it to say that while an attack on my parenting skills may get me hot under the collar, attempted professional sabotage can make a girl come positively unglued.

If that weren't bad enough, my Wednesday was a virtual litany of Marshall's Law. Here's a peek at my day:

• Dash to the train in the pouring rain to make an early meeting
• Hit the platform in time to hear that all trains into and out of Manhattan are cancelled due to electrical problems
• Race back to my car to drive into the city
• Get rear-ended by a commercial truck roughly 1.5 minutes into my drive
• Settle accident details, turn on news radio to get the latest traffic update
• Hear that trains are now running into Manhattan again
• Drive back to the train station
• Rip hem of pants running to make next train
• Run from subway to my office in time to make the delayed start of early client meeting

Despite the happy ending of making the meeting on time (apparently everyone had a bitch of a commute), my day continued to be colored by the aforementioned political BS. Truth be told, my fender bender may very well have been caused by my distracted thinking related to said BS. I made it through the day and looked forward to having dinner with my kids for the first time all week, putting them to bed and losing myself in a brilliant bottle of Riesling. 

And then I was reminded of what matters most.

I walked in the door to a note from Victor's teacher. It read that he complained of pain in his hands after nap. No sooner had I finished the last word than Victor began to moan that his hands were hurting again. As many of you know, Victor has a form of sickle cell anemia. While most days he is a happy, healthy little boy, he can occasionally have a "traffic jam" of deformed red blood cells in his veins from illness, injury or dehydration which can cause moderate to extreme pain. In children, these pain crises most often start in the small vessels of the hands or feet. 

We were able to control his pain and avoid the ER in the middle of the night with Motrin, then headed to the hematologist first thing in the morning. After a few gut wrenching hours, the doctors were able to get the pain under control with IV hydration and medication, and we were able to bring our once-again happy little Roo back home. 

But here's the rub - based upon the aforementioned professional drama, I spent more than a few moments worrying about attending a key meeting this afternoon rather than putting my entire focus on my son. In the end, I did the right thing (the ONLY thing, really) and focused on getting Victor healthy, but I am ashamed to say that I hesitated for more than a second based upon professional BS. 

I hate that it took a true emergency with my child to remind me of what really matters. In life - whether it be with family, friends or business associates - there will be petty drama. Don't let what matters least get in the way of what matters most. My career is important to me - it fulfills my need to achieve, satisfies my competitive streak and gives my a place to feel smart and accomplished on any given day (while motherhood typically makes me feel like a beaten down dishrag with no clue as to whether I'm building great young men or future serial therapy dwellers). 

My career is important, but it is not my life. Nor should it be the life of anyone who wishes to be truly successful. Career success takes drive, focus and dedication, but a 24-7 run on the career hamster wheel guarantees burnout and potential professional disaster. My family is my life and never again will I allow petty professional BS to cloud my focus on what matters most. 

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