Planning my day off

I’m giddy with excitement.

I’m like a kid on Christmas eve. Instead of getting up early and getting dressed for work, I’m taking a vacation day next week. In corporate speak, I’m taking a PTO (paid time-off) Day; in common everyday language, I’m taking a day off for me.

Right now, I have absolutely nothing planed, which means the planner in me is on over-drive thinking of all the things I could do with my time:

–I could go on a short day-trip to the beach or the mountains. Nah, my wife is already booked and I can’t imagine making a trip like that without her. Despite that, my spirits are still high. Oh, the things I could do with the time.

–I could work out. I’m training for a marathon (26.2 miles) in the Fall and could get my scheduled long run for the week in early without trying to squeeze it in here or there and feeling guilty for whatever I’m missing.

–I could write. Yes, I could actually work on my novel. I keep saying I’m working on one, but it inevitably gets pushed to the side. I even have a great start, 45,000-some words down on paper, but something else always gets in the way. My wife is on board. She’s long believed that my novel is my ticket to full-time book writing. (Thank God for the angels in our lives who believe in us the most.) I’m not sure like her that a book deal will ever come, but that’s a story for another day. In any event, if the novel doesn’t interest me, I could actually use the free day to get a few blogs written . . . what a novel concept, actually having a blog or two written in advance of my self-imposed twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) publishing deadline.

–I could catch-up on a couple of errands like washing my car; dropping off some clothes that I’m donating to charity; mowing my yard, etc., etc.

–I could sleep-in, catch an early lunch and then go see a movie. Hmm, the big screen heroes I could see: Elton John (Rocketman) to the Genie (Aladdin); Buzz Lightyear and Woody (Toy Story 4) to Captain America and Ironman (Avengers: Endgame). If not a movie, I could go to the library or book store and spend the day leisurely reading the current best seller.

I love coming up with all the possibilities and then filling in the time on a vacation day. In reality, the time flies so quickly. By the way, why is that? Time flies at the speed of light on your vacation day, but when you’re working, it moves like molasses . . . and I like my job.

We have our musts that we have to do each day. We work and we work and often we work some more, until we reach our peak and we either burn ourselves out or we come to our senses and find ways to release some of the built-up pressure and stress.

At least that’s how it works for me and why these simple days of playing hooky and caring for mental health are so important for me.

How do you spend your vacation days?