Vacations!!!

Horses at Stone Island, Mazatlan

Tomorrow starts my first official day of vacation. I get about ten paid days of vacation a year and it is an exceedingly nice benefit my employer offers. Now I can savor a little bit of summer with my family and forget I have a job for about a week. I wish all employers offered their employees vacation days, because I think vacations are important, both for the employee and their employer.
Vacations allow a person to relax and recharge. It is their time to be free to sleep in, spend time with family, go on vacations, and get away from all the stresses of work. I have made some of my very favorite memories on vacation and I suspect many of you have done the same.

Mexican Coastal Cuisine

Do not, and I mean DO NOT stress about work while on vacation. If you own your business or are a manager, make sure to put a subordinate in charge, or ask a peer to step in and keep an eye on things while you are away. I learned to leave work at work while on vacation by experience: I spent parts of a couple of vacations typing up reenlistment contracts and retention bonus documents. This contributes to stress and the feeling of not being able to take a vacation. Working while on vacation may make you look good in the short-run and have immediate benefits, but it will probably catch up to you later down the road in the form of burnout, family troubles, physical illness or stress-related injury. Try not to even think of work while you are on vacation...you may want to set an alarm on your cell phone to remind you when it is time to go back to work when vacation is over :-)

Mazatlan Coastal View From Our Balcony

Last year for vacation, my wife booked a round trip flight to Mazatlan, Sinaola, Mexico during the month of September where we had scheduled some time at a resort through our timeshare membership. My parents and in-laws watched our children, so my wife and I were able to spend a relaxing, stress-free, luxurious vacation in beautiful Mexico. The water was warm, the weather was hot, the food was spicy and the drinks were cool. It was an amazing vacation. It was one of the most refreshing periods of my life and I have good memories from it.

Coconut Plantation

This year, my wife and I are not as fortunate enough as to be able to go to an exotic location for vacation; my wife is in her third trimester with our third son and we have allocated additional funds from our income to other projects. I had originally planned to work on my MBA during the summer, but last month I felt a break from academia was in order so I stopped attending and will pick back up in the fall term. Considering these factors, we did not schedule a big vacation this year. We will, however, be going to Lincoln City in Oregon where I can chase my kids on the beach, watch the sun go down with my wife from our balcony and look at the pretty blue sky and dream. I always try to breathe in deeply, the fresh briny air of the Oregon Coast.
My dear readers, I hope at some point this summer or fall you are able to go on a vacation and take a load off for at least a short while. If you work in an office to rise in the world, spend time outside in the fresh air and exercise. If you work outside for your career, try cooling off in a pool or enjoy an air-conditioned movie at the theater. Remember to breathe deeply every now and then: it will slow your heart rate and help you to relax.

Me during my vacation to Mazatlan in September, 2012