Just last week, I wrote a blog about coming back from a vacation from not only work, but also social media and blogging and the rest. I had closen to two weeks off from all of that stuff, and it was just what I needed to recharge the batteries. Strangely enough, however, I find myself thinking that the vacation wasn’t long enough. I could’ve used more time.
That sounds strange to a lot of people, I think. After all, two weeks where I was just lazy? Didn’t I go stir crazy? How could I handle it? The answer is that yes, I did get a little cabin fever, and ended up going out with a friend to the mall for a few hours. That cured the cabin fever for me. But how could I want more vacation? How could I want more time to be lazy?
This sounds a bit strange, even to me, but it’s a question I’ve struggled with as long as I can remember (Bear with me here, I am going somewhere with this). In school, I don’t think it is unusual for the child to not be ready to go back to school at the end of summer. Same deal for work. But I’ve never felt ready to “Go back to reality” as it were. I can recall some friends saying that they were bored during vacation, and felt a need to come back so they had something to do during the afternoon. I also recall, when I was in high school and my parents pushed me to get a job, one of the reasons they used to convince me to do so was that it would give me something to do.
But that’s just it. I’ve never needed something to do. I’ve always had it.
When left to my own devices, I am remarkably good at finding ways to fill my time. A weekend by myself is often a dream, with plenty to keep me entertained and busy. I’ve never scrolled through Facebook endlessly, trying to find something to do. I’ve never sat on the couch, flipping through channels, struggling to find something to kill time. Never.
Granted, I think everyone’s had a slow day at the office, or been stuck in traffic. But like I said, when left to my own devices, I just don’t get bored. I always find ways to fill my time.
And I left my last vacation feeling that I had more I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to read one more book, get past one more level, or hell, read one more wikipedia article. You may look at these things and think of them as “Time-killers.” I look at them and see exactly what I want to do.
It’s kind of a wonderful dilemma to have. And while I’m sure, had I been doing this for a year, I would eventually run out of things to keep me entertained, I am equally sure that another week of vacation would have been just as full as the previous two.
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Do you struggle to keep yourself entertained? Or are you rarely bored?
Derek Pietras 