Kicking Off My Shoes
I just read a startling piece of information. Some might call it trivia and it may be a question on “Jeopardy!” some day. It seems that 55 percent of U.S. workers fail to use all of their allotted vacation time each year.
My question is why? If you are fortunate enough to have a job that earns vacation days, you should at least be gracious enough to your employer and fellow workers to use the time they have given you. Right? Not according to some stats I read this week. American workers believe they are doing their employers a good deed by remaining on the job even when they really should take the time off.
Some folks wait until they hit the proverbial wall before deciding a vacation is warranted. My advice is, don’t wait. Everyone needs to reboot and you can’t do that sitting at your desk and only wondering what the temperature is outside or if the sun is shining. You have to experience the fresh air. Sunlight in moderation promotes vitamin D.
Turning off the electronic devices that attach us to our workplaces is suggested if you truly want to relax. That’s not so easy to do, as we are tethered to our cellphones, computers, etc.
Open a good book and relish reading each chapter. Load up a picnic basket and head for the local park. Take a blanket and sprawl out to watch the stars and planets align with your world. Go to a movie and laugh out loud or cry into your hankie. Both are good for the soul.
Growing up, vacations weren’t something we could do with such a large family. However, a few jaunts stand out.
The first was a caravan of vehicles with family friends to the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. There was no air conditioning in the cars and children were seated four across on bench seats with no regard for seat belts. The best part of the trip was seeing a life-size cow carved out of butter.
Another road trip was an overnight to friends who lived in Fairmont. Yes, we went to Fairmont on vacation (one day and night). It turned out to be the best of times with fun-loving, free-spirited hosts who saw the adventure in someone having to sleep on the pool table because there were so many kids and adults to bed down for the night. Sleeping bags, pillows and blankets covered the floors of the house. We had a ball and learned that a vacation was not where you went, but with whom you spent your time.
Vacations don’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to go beyond your backyard if you don’t want to. But there is merit in learning how to decompress. Your family, friends and co-workers will thank you for it.
For clarification, I am writing this column while on my official vacation week. Does that make me a hypocrite? Possibly. But while I’m writing this, I am sitting barefoot with a tall, cool glass of iced tea at the ready and I just finished planting some sunflower seeds. Now, it’s your turn … have fun.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at: hziegler@theintelligencer.net.
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