Vacation 2018

I returned to work Monday after a much-needed two-week vacation, a relaxing reprieve that allowed me to regain some sanity—which promptly vanished after I waded into the backlog of emails, decision letters, and the usual chaos.

I opted to take my vacation at the end of October and beginning of November instead of during the summer. Why? Because I love autumn, October, and Halloween, and I wanted to enjoy them without the eight-hour preoccupation, responsibility, and stress of work. Plus, I hate heat and crowds, two things that are commonplace during the summer vacation season, so I opted to wait ... and it was glorious!

Did I go anywhere? I went to East Lansing, Michigan, to get out of town, hang out with my boss (it sounds counterintuitive, but I didn’t do any work), and attend the Purdue–Michigan State football game, my first Big Ten football tilt outside Kinnick Stadium. That was it. No grand adventure or trip. I don’t like traveling, so I try not to waste free time doing something I dislike. A change of scenery is good every now and then, but I’m not a fan of airports, lines, or sitting on a plane for hours. Traveling is stressful and makes me anxious. The last thing I want is a vacation from my vacation.

Other than my trip to East Lansing, I didn’t do much. I lounged around, slept late (but not too late, which I regret now), took long walks though places like Squire Point (where I took the picture above), continued purging old stuff, and did not work. I checked my personal email every once in a while, but mostly stayed far away from my laptop. I unplugged and did not worry about all the work piling up.

My vacation was awesome, but it came to an end. According to the contract I received this year, I get eight sick days and two personal days (paid!) for the rest of the fiscal year, so I will happily sprinkle those throughout the next couple of months. Taking a mental-health day once in a while will help me limp to my next vacation with sanity to spare.