Vacation From Vacation

Vacation From Vacation

As I write this post from the sun soaked pool in my all inclusive Playa Del Carmen resort, I think about the difference in the nature of vacations since slowing down at work. We are big fans of Mexico and tend to do these trips on a non budget. I have always enjoyed them. They are a little slice of heaven each year. My wife is happy. The kids are happy. The food is good. What more could I want? This year, however, is markedly different. For the first time, I feel like I am taking a vacation from vacation.

What the heck do I mean? Well, work was always so hectic before, that going out of town was sort of a chore. Even for fun trips. Now, most of life is starting to feel like a constant vacation. And our trips to Mexico? A vacation from vacation.

Let’s look at how things have changed.

Pre Trip Prep

Up until this year, every time I wanted to take a week off I had to extensively prepare. I had to arrange coverage for the nursing homes, cram in all my outpatient visits, and make sure I had someone to cover me at the hospitals.

This was stressful. Even simple questions like who would cover the phone when I was in flight caused me significant stress. I found that the joy and elation of the trip were already impinged upon even before I left the city.

This year, on the other hand, was incredibly easy. I had no coverage to arrange. No last minute visits to schedule. No hospitals to worry about. Basically, I just took off.

My usual hospice meetings will be covered by someone else. I didn’t even have to arrange it.

When your normal work life feels like a vacation, then going out of town feels like a vacation from vacation. I’m loving it so far.

Not Truly Vacation

We go to Mexico almost every March. In years past, I was stuck to my phone the whole time. Owning my own practice, I pretty much took all my own phone calls. Day. Night. At 3am. The important stuff came right to my mobile.

One year my phone broke and I was forced to go into the city and buy a new iPhone. It was super stressful and took hours out of my relaxation time. And then once I resolved the crisis, I was stuck catching up on all the missed calls for the rest of the night.

It might have been vacation, but it certainly didn’t fully feel like it.

Now, I have no responsibilities. I could turn the phone off for a week and no one would even notice. It’s like a vacation from vacation. Life was good last week, this week in Mexico it is even better.

The Dreaded Return

Vacation always sorta sucked in the past. I would get back to the office and it would feel like the world was falling down right in front of me. It took weeks to catch up with both paperwork and patient care issues.

I can’t tell you how many catastrophes occurred every year during my one week trips that I had to scramble to take care. The crushing stress upon returning almost completely erased the joy of going out of town in the first place.

This year will be utterly different. I will return to the same stress free schedule that I left a week earlier. It’s like a vacation from vacation. Home is great. Mexico is even better. Returning home is still great.

Final Thoughts

Vacation was never really vacation for me until my half retirement. I was always super stressed before, busy doing work while out of town, and depressed to return to the pile of stuff that awaited me.

Now, every day feels like a vacation. And leaving town feels like a vacation from vacation.

I like it this way much better.