A couple of years ago, I discovered the joy of vacationing at home. I found it pure heaven to stay home for an extended period of time. It was wonderful to start a little project and see it through to the end. My loyal readers know I'm a procrastinator of the worst sort so actually finishing a task begun is a major accomplishment for me.
My burgeoning closets are calling to me, my covered flat surfaces are begging to be cleared, my storage area at the back of the house which was the original garage before we bought this house is...well, in need of some work. My daughter maintains I could make a killing on E-Bay with the junk, er, I mean, treasures I have about the house. Isn't a fun-filled vacation in store for me?
Actually, yes. It shall be so. I picked a prime time to cash in some of my vacation hours. This vacation starts officially at 3pm Thanksgiving Day and I will be free from the shackles and demands of the workplace for eleven glorious days. And oh, happy day! I recently caught a gander of our work schedule for December and I'm so very pleased. My seniority at work is about to reward me with a major payoff, a perk, one of the reasons I remain where I am. I will have Christmas Day off and the following two days which are my regular days off (but I wasn't expecting to get them). Hmmm...a nice little three-day holiday for Christmas. You can't beat that.
Every year prior to the holiday season, a list goes up in our clock-in room to write down requests for which holiday you want off from work. The choices are always the same: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The shift one works is very relevent to the prime choice of which day off you really want. I work the day shift in a 24-hour staffed assisted living facility. My usual hours are 7am to 3pm so I have a lot of leeway here. All I ever want is to be off on Christmas Day. Amazingingly enough, only once in my working life have I had to work on Christmas. I had to do so last year and I didn't care for it at all. My family waited for me to come home to "start Christmas" but it wasn't right at all. I do not wish to repeat the experience if I can help it.
Having the weekend off following Thanksgiving means I can enjoy a more lengthy visit with my sister whom I don't see very often during the year. She always comes for Thanksgiving. It means that I don't have to drag my weary bones out of a soft, warm bed and go to work in the wee hours of the morn while the rest of my family is still sleeping soundly under the effects of tryptophan It means that we can go to the Christmas tree farm we've frequented for many a year to choose and cut our tree.
I am so ready for a break from the moans and groans and whines and complaints of the residents I deal with daily. I really do enjoy my work but eventually the time arrives when my vast well of patience begins to run dry. It has not only begun but has all but evaporated. There's even the occasional tumbleweed rolling through from time to time. It's time to retreat, refresh and renew my perspective regarding work and the elderly who rely on me for much comfort and care. It's time to care for myself for a time and I shall glory in it!
2 comments:
I think we all need vacations just to get away, no matter how much we like what we do. Our minds need a break more than our bodies sometimes.
The best way for people in your line of work to remain in top form is to make sure they have plenty of opportunity to take meaningful time off to recharge their batteries. Unfortunately, it's my experience that the people who run Assisted Living facilities (at least the one I worked at) treat the help more like indentured servants. I'm sure that's why the turnover was so high...and why the residents were not getting the kind of care they deserved. You go, girl. Have a nice vacation and a Happy Thanksgiving! Lisa :-]
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