The most important thing I’ll do today

As I poured water into the coffeemaker, I thought about the busy day ahead. I was overbooked, and I didn’t know how everything would happen.

There was the usual morning chaos to get through as I made sure we didn’t miss the school bus. But I was preparing for an urgent work project that had to happen quickly, smoothly, and without error—and it had to happen today. I was excited and nervous.

I also knew it was my niece’s 7^th birthday. Nieces are phenomenal, and seventh birthdays are so special.

There was no question in my mind that I needed to deliver my niece’s birthday gift in person. I believe in personal birthday deliveries, and I couldn’t imagine explaining to her why I had missed seeing her because of my job.

Besides, I have had our gift ready to go. I found a unicorn horn for the birthday girl to wear and some unicorn books, including one that came with a little stuffed unicorn. When the book description for Uni the Unicorn said that the main character, who was a unicorn, had been told that little girls weren’t real, I knew my search was over. Magical. Amusing. Adorable. Done.

I woke up extra early to take on the day. I threw myself into trying to get as much accomplished as I could before the sun came up. I was up before the birds, tiptoeing around in the darkness making coffee, cooking my sons’ soup for their thermoses, and texting friends to ask them to pray for my day.

My mind was on the many tasks I needed to accomplish. But I kept seeing the gift bag out of the corner of my eye. I couldn’t forget. I had to find a way to get that present into that little girl’s hands.

Dropping off that birthday gift would be the most important thing I would do all day.

Lots of people can do the other things I do—maybe not the same way, but they would get done. But only Aunt Rita can deliver a special unicorn-themed gift, carefully selected with a certain sweet 7-year-old girl in mind.

So, I plunged into the day. I carefully ticked through the items on my list one after another. And by mid-morning, I realized I had just a sliver of time when the Birthday Fairy could make her delivery.

I messaged colleagues to say I’d be offline briefly, grabbed the gift, my laptop, and my purse, and raced out the door.

Minutes later, I was with my niece, delivering her special gift, watching her reach into the bag and discover one item after another. She put her unicorn horn on right away, and as I was walking out the door to head back to work, I saw that the birthday girl and one of her sisters were already deep in the unicorn books.

Success.

Birthday delivery done, I headed back to work and kept moving through my list for the day. And I thought about what a gift my visit with the birthday girl was not just to her, but also to me. It was so, so important for me to carve out a little bit of time to see my niece on her special day.

Happy birthday, little unicorn. I hope you have the most magical year.

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