The tutor shares reflections about a current institution:  vacationing.

My impression is that thirty years ago, people spent less time vacationing.  Life was more routine than today; months and seasons would pass with little change and (hopefully) no dramatic events.  Quiet, stable contentment was what people lived for.

Today, vacationing is oft discussed.  This person is just returning from a vacation, while that person is about to leave on one….In a given group, it seems, there is always someone with a vacation in mind.

In my late teens and early twenties, I was brought up by restauranteurs who didn’t take vacations.  “You take a vacation when you retire,” was the idea.  They were at the restaurant before it opened, then in and out all day (never more than a few minutes away), then playing host for the busy dinner hours, then closing, supervising the reset, counting the receipts, and having a drink.  They would be the last to leave, locking up in the deserted street.  Without the owner’s presence, hour to hour, day in and day out, the business would fall apart.  As the owner, you could have a glass of wine and a nice dinner at your own secluded table, but you could not leave. Taking a vacation was unthinkable.

While I’m not in the restaurant business, my point of view coincides with those old restauranteurs’:  I don’t book time away from my business in order to vacation. My motivation is two-fold:  the first is for the sake of the business.  The second is that, actually, I find vacationing can be hard work.  If I’m going to work anyway, I’d rather do so at my business.

Recently, while  I stayed home, maintaining the business and the house, my family took a two-week vacation.  Starting three months prior, my wife planned for it.  Among organizing paperwork, coordinating plans, deciding what to bring, and finally packing, I’d say she spent 100 hours just preparing.

The day came to leave; after a flurry of activity, my family departed.  Then, for 16 days, I was alone in the quiet house.  I carried on business, picked up the mail, did research, etc.

On their end, my wife and kids had a great time.  However, my wife describes days when she had to keep important papers at hand, be conscious of exchange rates, and carefully plan and execute breakfast and departure.  She had to guard against sunburn, which would happen spontaneously to someone unprepared.

While I’m happy that my wife and kids enjoyed themselves, and would never want to take that away from them, I think I had a more relaxing time than they did.  At home, I never had to worry about papers, arrivals or departures.  Making plans, then vigilantly sticking to them, can be exhausting.  Just waking up in your own bed, putting your coffee in the microwave, then starting your morning research…how hard is that?

For my wife, the planning and execution of a vacation contribute to the rush.  I think most people share that view –  that part of the fun of vacationing is the challenge of doing it right.  Being a good vacationer (aka, traveler) takes concentration, organization, and even sophistication.  For me, the vacation equation spells way too much effort when the goal is supposed to be rest and relaxation.

Maybe those old restauranteurs’ reasons for not taking vacations were even more practical than I knew at the time.  There was so much they didn’t explain….

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.