Staying in vacation mode

You know you've had a good vacation when two weeks later you're still in vacation mode. That's me...relaxed, taking baby steps on a couple of projects that will dominate the coming year, and mostly spending my time on gardening and grandkids.

After all, the flowers in the sunny part of the garden were pretty spectacular when we returned from the lake. It's only logical to spend time admiring them, and also to care for them while the season is still upon us (Minnesota gardening is a short-term opportunity). Peter has been helping me reclaim more patches from the weeds and solidify our claim with bags and bags of mulch. It's work, but it's the kind of thing I did for fun back when I was employed. In my head it's exactly like being on vacation. 

Just today an online news-gathering service called MinnPost ran a story saying there is very little research evidence to show that vacations have lasting value. Studies seem to show that people walk back into the workplace and pick up the stresses pretty quickly. It happened to me when I was working; I hated feeling the tension and toxins returning to my system.

Now I have a book to write and a centennial celebration to head up--I'll tell you more soon--and there will be stresses. But I'm determined to build relaxation and renewal into my days, and to start every day being grateful instead of stressed. I guess that's what I learned on my summer vacation.