Tomorrow we fly back to Seattle. It’s hard for vacation to end. We had a week in a beautiful place and yet it still doesn’t feel like enough. Vacations are hard because there is always an end. Perhaps as it should be.
For me vacation means a lot of things. A chance to travel. Maybe enjoy some warmer or sunnier weather. A break from routines and schedules. A chance to eat rich meals with good wine. Time away from the strains and stresses of work. But mostly what it means for me and what I love most is spending each day with my family. There’s really nowhere else I’d rather be than anywhere my wife and son are. Ideally the dog is there too.
I love my family and as enter the second half of my second year in the corporate world I’m thinking not just of how to grow my career but how to maximize the time I spend with my family. The paid time off is awesome. I’ve never had paid time off before. But it’s also a lot of boundary setting and sticking to.
There will always be more and more work. But there will not be an endless supply of time when my son is a toddler. Or when my wife and I are young. So I want to spend as much time as possible being with them unencumbered by the to dos and tasks and constraints of work.
I love my job. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful that I get to work at an amazing place with amazing people and great benefits. But my dream life is one centered around my family and spending time together.
So after a week away it’s time to go home. Time to get back to the routine. But I won’t be just pinning away for the next vacation. I’ll be setting boundaries and making time to spend with the ones I adore the most.
