The final days before vacation can be painful. Sometimes it’s because we work to get ahead so our vacation doesn’t inconvenience coworkers or so our house is clean when we come home.

Sometimes it’s because we are so overdue for a break that the suspense of waiting for said break is almost too great to manage.

I’m officially on vacation now and can honestly say that it came not a moment too soon.

I was starting to feel put upon, irritated by people who rely on me to be the planner or the grown up when they could do things for themselves. I found myself complaining and feeling frustrated about things that shouldn’t bother me.

Our society tells us that being busy is important. Many Americans leave vacation time on the table because they feel weak for taking time off, because they feel judged by a supervisor or because they don’t want to leave coworkers short staffed.

Luckily, these aren’t issues for me. I just tend to horde time off for fear I might need it later, consequently waiting too long to take breaks.

Lying in bed one night, it occurred to me there is actually victory in surrender.

Read that again.

There is victory in surrender.

It is winning to know when it’s time to take a break. Trust your body and mind to tell you when you need to rest. You wouldn’t deny yourself a a cold glass of water on a hot summer day. Why would you deny yourself a few days of rest and relaxation outside the confines of your normal schedule?

I’m hoping to return to work better rested, more organized and less temperamental about life in general.

I know. It’s a vacation, not a magic trick… but a gal can hope!!!

Do you have vacation time in the table? I promise you will feel better after a few days of R&R.