this is why I go on vacation
A client asked me if was I was sorry yet that I was back from vacation. I supposed I’m in a slightly unique circumstance because the hurricane that hit the gulf coast right after we left meant that I haven’t once though, “I wish I’d stayed a few more days.” But still, being back at work isn’t so bad. I like what I do. And I’m confident enough (or ignorant enough, I guess I’m not in the position to tell) in my abilities that I don’t suffer from performance anxiety. It’s really the stress that gets to be. Juggling multiple projects, having to handle a lot of the admin (invoicing, creating estimates, etc.) in addition to the actual creative stuff, etc. And doing all this within various deadlines. That’s what gets to me. After a really busy day, sometimes I feel like I’ve been clenching all of my muscles at once, all day long. And I seem to generate a lot more stomach acid than normal when I’m under stress.
It’s that stress that makes me really need vacations. Heck, most of the time I feel lucky when I can get a weekend or two off a month. Having a full 10 days without work last week was just what the doctor ordered, and did me a world of good. I can feel the stress already piling up again, but that degree of unwinding lasted a good bit, and I’m thankful. But I’m also not sorry to be back at work.
It’s times like this, when I analyze my position in life, that I really feel lucky.