November 1, 2009

Vacation, all I ever wanted, vacation, had to get away...

We are just back from eight days vacation, a quick trip to Connecticut and New York, visiting family, seeing Broadway shows, going to museums, and just enjoying being away from real life.

Even though real life for me is pretty darn good, we all need to get away from our lives once in a while.

But some people don't; according to The National Post, nearly 25 per cent of Canadians aren't taking the full number of vacation days they've been allotted, leaving 34 million vacation days unused every year. Not surprisingly, 42 per cent of poll respondents said they're feeling stressed, tired and vacation-deprived, up from 33 per cent in 2008. Why? Cost of vacations, worrying about job security.

And then there are the people like me, who take their vacations and really enjoy them, and still check in via blackberry to ensure things are running smoothly and assist where possible. Work is work, responsibility is responsibility.

We all have trouble balancing work and life. No wonder a buzz term such as “work-life balance” even exists; why is “work” considered a separate entity from “life” to begin with? There is overlap in time and focus and relationships and worry, and you don't just turn off one half your life.

We all need to work, for interest and challenge and learning and, let's face it, money. And days off and vacations and having an outside life are all important for health and happiness and sanity. Maybe it's not a healthy balance we should be going for, maybe it's a healthy blend.

And at the end of some time off, coming home is always a fantastic end to a vacation, because this is home, and the world's cutest Havanese is here!

1 comments:

Clare and Gary said...

Agreed, a healthy blend is always what I tried for ..it's hard just to drop everything when people depend on you, conversely we all need a break...I don't find it hard to answer emails on the Blackberry whilst sipping a cocktail on the beach, and I don't come home to tons of work!

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