Vacation Recovery

Most of my adult life I have jumped at the chance to take a few days off work and hit the road for a change of scenery. Luckily my wife agrees with me on the compass direction, so as long as it’s somewhere hot with a beach nearby we get along just fine. Throwing in a teenage daughter that is not quite as enamored with the ocean changed things somewhat, but she too jumps when the car keys are rattled! We are a family of riding dogs.

This summer we went round and round about what to do for a vacation. My daughter held fast to California and Disneyland, but I really think she just wanted a trip with a flight involved. My wife and I just didn’t seem to have a trip like that in us at the time, so we kind of dragged our feet and let the moment pass. You know my motto; when in doubt, do nothing. Really we ended up deciding to just take a vacation later in the year when the crowds die down and it is not quite so hot. Maybe squeeze in a few long weekends here and there, but not take a big trip anywhere.

We could always blame our decision on the new dog or clingy garden, but it seemed like we were forcing ourselves to think of something that would be fun. It has been my experience that when you feel this way, a trip somewhere usually ends up being an expensive way to remember why you like your home so much. My wife needed to take her vacation time anyway, so we ended up taking a week long “staycation”. I have to admit that I have always hated this term and you won't hear me use it again. When I hear it I usually think that what someone is actually telling me (in a nice way) is that they would be embarrassed to eat sardines and vienna sausages on a public beach. Simply, the budget will not allow a real vacation.

Well the vacation week is now over and everybody is back at work. For the first time ever I don’t feel like I was just at work yesterday. I am a little tired, but I don’t have jet lag and my back is not stiff from a long car ride. Okay, I do have a slight sunburn too, but I got it in my own backyard. Maybe this is what it feels like to actually be rested? I won’t have to recover from my vacation!

Maybe one of the reasons a vacation spot seems so appealing has less to do with the location itself and more to do with the fact that you have nothing you HAVE to do! You witness a town going through its daily routine at a time of day you would normally be working; an odd time. It’s kind of like when you were a kid, home alone and watching game shows and soap operas, too “sick” to go to school. A little guilty and a little out of place; the house sounds almost unrecognizable. To step out of your normal life instead of stepping out of town may be just the vacation we all need once in a while!