Vacation

One of my loyal readers sent this podcast link about vacations. It's worth a listen.

There's quite a bit of science behind the idea that vacations are very good for us. It's something I've always suspected. Hey, if a little vacation time is good, a whole lot more must be better, right? After all, the good effects of a vacation only last a few weeks. That tells me that maybe we are not wired to work 24/7.

The United States is the only industrialized Western nation with no mandatory vacation time. Not only that, we do a pretty dismal job of taking what little time we do get. Contrast that to European nations where 30 vacation days are pretty common. It's pretty normal for people in Europe to take a month off in the summer. Guess what? It's not the end of the world when people go on vacation. Perhaps the benefits outweigh the downsides?

The reader who sent me the link said he hard time finishing the podcast. The truth hurts. He saw how his bosses manipulated him into working instead of going on vacation. (I don't think he'll let that happen again.)

My lovely wife thought I could use a vacation. A vacation from what you might ask? After all, we just spent months travelling around the country, camping and boating. She figures that I'm the guy doing all the driving, set up, and keeping the van and boat running. With that in mind she booked a cruise to the Bahamas. Someone else can drive the boat.

I was a bit surprised. That's not the sort of thing she'd normally do without asking me first. She thought I might say no so she made a command decision. Like a good husband I finally agreed to being pampered and waited on. See what sacrifices I make?

-Sixbears