A vacation? What’s that?

I’m leaving town, something I do infrequently enough to make it newsworthy. I’d love to say this is an exciting business trip to New York or San Francisco, though frankly flying is such a pain these days, I can’t imagine how a business trip could be exciting. I’d also love to say I’m going somewhere exotic to sit on a beach and sip marguerites, but alas it isn’t that either. The truth is I’m going to visit my daughter, and I plan to work a good part of the time. “Travel light,” she suggested. “Just bring a carry-on.” I laughed. “My entire office is packed in my carry on.” The rest of my belonging are in the heaviest suitcase I’ve ever owned. What was I thinking?

I have told all my clients that this will be my chance to catch up on their projects, thus raising their expectations en masse. “I won’t be distracted,” I insisted, though that may not be entirely accurate. First, there is Milo (the wonder dog), who is the real reason for my trip. If you have ever read one of my blogs, you know all about Milo, so I shall spare you the superlatives.

Second, there is the pool, which is right outside my room; and though I cannot bring myself to swim at home, I cannot miss my daily swim on these annual trips. Third, there are “plans,” apparently lots of them. My daughter keeps sending me e-mails saying how would you like to do this … or go there  … or eat at  … ? And they all sound like fun, so, of course, I say yes. The only thing that augurs well for getting any work done is that my daughter and son in law both have jobs. Of course, my daughter plans to come home for lunch to be sure I’m not lonely. Fitting work into my busy schedule is going to take some planning.

The question is why do I take enough electronics and files with me to keep me busy for life when what I really need is to do nothing? Because I have commitments to my clients. Because I am incapable of doing nothing. And, because I am a workaholic. It’s not that can’t relax. I have also brought half of library of books with me to read during down time.

Years ago, a very good friend told me there are two kinds of people in the world: those who work to live and those who live to work. He was the former; I am obviously the latter. What would I do if I didn’t work? Who would I be if I were not a writer? It is not chic to pose those questions, especially on line (I am assuming here that millions of people are reading my blog), but since bloggers have implicit permission to be candid and truthful, I’m just putting it out there for all the world to read.

Frankly, I don’t have answers to those questions. All I know is that what I do for a living is what I do for fun, for relaxation, for an outlet, for a diversion, and on and on. At this point in my life, I’m not sure I would change if I could.

 

 

 

 

Taking a Time Out

We interrupt this writer’s life to accept the mother-of-the-year award for flying to Florida to dog sit, while my daughter and son in law celebrate their anniversary cruising around Europe. You must understand that this is not your ordinary dog who could spend a week in a pet hotel or have the neighbor’s kids drop by to feed him and walk him twice a day,. This is my daughter’s child and, thus, my grandchild.

So, here I am, rambling around a huge house (any house would be huge compared to my 900-square-foot closet of a condo), swimming laps in a gorgeous pool (with fountain), and lounging on the custom-built patio amid a paradise of tropical plants, butterfly gardens, and soothing chimes.

In between all that swimming and lounging, my duties consist of making sure Milo (the love of our lives) has food, water, treats, ample petting, and scheduled walks around the big circle (complete with plastic bags – a new experience for me).

Milo is a cross between a sheltie and a corgi – fluffy, low to the ground, and lovable. He has soulful eyes and a constantly wagging tale. Milo does not bark, but he does make his desires apparent through a series of facial expressions (no kidding), body postures, and unmistakable displays of excitement – all of which I struggle to interpret.

Since I have not yet mastered the art of just “hanging out” and must work, I brought enough electronics with me to set up my own Radio Shack. This took some creativity on my part, because I am a Mac person and most of the rest of the world is not. Configuring my external hard drive; a borrowed two-foot-long, ergonomic keyboard; and my son in law’s PC is a story in itself. If anyone ever tells you Windows is just like OS X (Mac talk for operating system), don’t believe it.

In any event, I am prepared for any eventuality. I can get into my website-based e-mail; I can charge my cell phone; I can retrieve messages from my office voice mail. What can’t I do? One little thing: retrieve my e-mail address book! This is a serious oversight, but I have a contingency plan. It depends only on the good will of my other daughter, who is still in St. Louis, though nowhere near my office nor Mac proficient. (She used to be, and I will never understand why she went over to the dark side!)

I’ve only been here four days, trying desperately to relax. So far, I have reorganized my daughter’s closet, done two loads of laundry, swum laps, finished a book and gotten half way through a second, and worked for umpteen hours on a client project. It would seem that taking a “vacation” is harder than I thought it would be. But I have another week to figure out how it’s done.