I’m back from vacation! Did you miss me? (Don’t answer that.)
If you’re anything like me, coming back to real life is always hard, although it’s also good to be home. And if you’re anything like me, you love to overthink analyze everything. So here goes: Things I Have Learned About Myself On Vacation.
1. When I’m on vacation, I really just want to go on leisurely walks…explore neighborhoods to find delicious restaurants and fun coffee shops…nap/lounge around…rinse and repeat. This is also true on long weekends at home, or even longer staycations–except of course it’s cheaper to do it at home.
2. But it’s nice to be away from all the “shoulds” of home, and my ongoing mental to-do list.
3. I always think I’m going to get lots of writing done. This is a lie, especially if seeing/visiting family is involved. (I miss my folks and want to spend tons of time with them when I can. Thank goodness I’m an introvert and need recharge time, and thank goodness they’re all fine with that.) The only time it ever happens is if the vacation is designated as a writing retreat and nothing else. Even then, 4 or 5 solid hours a day is my limit. Otherwise, it’s 1 or 2 hours, tops.
4. Maybe that’s okay. After all, a person needs some time off from the little niggling voice in the back of the brain that says “You should be writing!”
5. My mattress is clearly too soft, because every other bed I encounter is too hard.
6. When vacation plans go awry, give yourself space to feel disappointment or whatever else you may be feeling, then shrug and adapt. We ended up staying an extra day in one city, and if we hadn’t, we would never have found that awesome, slightly upscale Lebanese restaurant, or the trendy coffee shop, or had the experience of breakfasting at our B&B with some interesting strangers. (See #1.)
7. It’s incredibly relaxing to be away from the clutter of home. (Both physical and mental–see #2.)
8. I need to do something about #6 so that being at home is more relaxing. I’m a disorganized packrat married to a minimalist…you can see the problem.
9. Home will never be as relaxing (see #2 again, and of course the day job).
10. But it’s still good to be home. (See #5. And on that note…)
yeahhhh…we should probably never vacation together. (Unless it’s the writing retreat. And then I’ll want to go boating.)
I don’t get to travel much, so when I do I DO it. I’m not of the Must See Everything crowd, but I do want to experience lots. I usually wear out whoever I’m with. (and then I leave them at the hotel.)
Life is sort of dragging me towards minimalism. It’s hard, but each bit of stuff that goes really does feel like a bit of freedom coming in.
Heh. Noted! To be fair, it does depend on what sort of vacation I’m on and what sort of place I’m in. If there’s a beach or hiking or world-class museums and art galleries or really old architecture, I’m not going to miss those! But I’ll do it slower than most people, with plenty of #1 mixed in.