I left work on Wednesday, December 24 to enjoy a Christmas vacation.
"On vacation from work" is an oxymoron: like "white chocolate" and "original copies" and "hot chili" and "seriously funny."
It takes a ton of time at work to finish up all the details and try to get ahead, anticipating all the possible emails, issues, and conundrums that could possibly happen while gone. And you have to change your email, change your voicemail, tell your boss, tell your co-workers, tell the receptionist, tell the warehouse. Whence I was finally feeling good about my situation, I left my cleaned off desk and organized cubicle.......only to get in my car and think, think, think about all the things I had forgotten to do. I then left a very long message to myself about what to do when I got back into the office on January 2nd.
Once home, I felt pretty good about myself. I had planned early enough to get everything done in an orderly manner. I had executed pretty well in getting them all done - - of course there were those things I had procrastinated on....and of course they took the longest to sort through. All in all, however, everything was in order for my return in 2009. EXCEPT that I needed to check my email at least twice for the TWO very important things that needed to happen WHILE I was on vacation. Checking the email would at least give me the opportunity to first, KNOW what was happening - - and second, to DO something if necessary.
Ah. Email. Gotta love it. Gotta hate it. Depends on the day.
Both checks of the email went well. Predicaments arose that I did not foresee, and thus required a few phone calls and emails to keep things running smoothly. Today I emailed myself with a list of things I had thought of that needed gettin' done before the first event started - - on Sunday. :)
Unfortunately that "vacation from work" included a little "work detours."
And that, my friends, got me to thinkin'. Is a vacation really possible? What am I looking for when I take a vacation from work?
REST for my weary body? Ha! I have 2 kids - - and my weary body has nothing to do with work. It has everything to do with FAT!
A Different Perspective? Peace? Family Time? Getting Away? Solitude? MY Time?
One thing I do know: vacation reminds me to BALANCE all of these things.
Can I ever get work out of my mind? Not really. Though it's there, being away from the daily grind helps me to see things differently, to choose other options for my time, to remember to make time for my wife and my kids and my household responsibilities. It also allows me to play the piano (and realize that it certainly makes me happier) and eat meals....slowly (and share funny stories with my family) and pray more (and continually commit to a deeper trust in my relationship with God).
The new year brings all sorts of thoughts to my head - - and to my heart. I probably sound like a moron - an oxymoron, that is: "clearly confused." This may be "old news" to some and others may be thinking "same difference."
"Good grief." I'm done. May we all strive for balance in 2009. Happy New Year!
