PTO days are precious. We look over them and protect them like they are eggs and we are the mama bird, building a nest so they may be safe. We store them up and save them for a special occasion. The more we have, the more secure we feel. And when we’re using them, we’re sure to maximize the pleasure we get from them. We need them to survive so that we can survive. We need things on the calendar to look forward to, or else we’ll just waste away at our desks forever. Every now and then, we need to have a beautiful day where we look around and say «Wow, I could be at work right now. But I’m not.»

It isn’t always the easiest to look after these days, though. Sometimes employers don’t have the same respect for them as we wish they would. And sometimes, they do the unthinkable and call us on our days off.