Give, Give, Give.

I was sitting in a meeting today and my union rep reminded all of us that we should give up a sick day for the "sick day bank". This way, we all pool sick days and if anyone needs to be gone for some reason, they can use those days without having to take unpaid days off. The example that my union leader gave, of course, was unplanned pregnancy leave. Since I am a giving kind of girl, I gave up my days so that someone in my district can enjoy leisurely days with their new baby on extended maternity leave. Later that day, I also gave money to a bake sale so that someone else's kids can play softball in new uniforms. Before that, I bought 20 extra notebooks for my class because at least that many will have a hard time affording basic school supplies. Before that I made a donation toward a new baby stroller for an unmarried co-worker who just happened to knock up his girlfriend of eight months. Super.

When is it my turn? I feel like I am making a fair contribution to the children of the world…so when do I get one of my own? Why am I paying out of pocket to help raise other people's kids when I can't even conceive one? Is anyone raising money for my dogs to get new adorable collars? Does my workplace ever pool their money to buy a new dog bed when I decide to get another puppy? No and no.

I am comforted, however, by the fact that all this goodwill is sure to come back to me. 'Cause when the time comes for me to take maternity leave, I'm robbing that sick leave bank blind.