As some of you know, I'm losing my job in a few weeks (long story for another blogpost), so this is a really good time to step back and reflect on how things are going with my life, how things are going for my kids, how I really want to be spending my time, and what I want to do next.
So action item #1: TAKE BACK VACATION TIME!!!
I'm taking this whole week off, and I'll take another week in October before my employment officially ends Nov. 3. And I plan to make the most of it!
One of my coworkers asked me last week, "Why don't you just work the rest of the time and collect a fat final pay check?"
I have to admit, I was surprised by the question. I recognize the mere fact I'm able to make a choice about this shows what a privileged life I lead in comparison to much of the world, but the truth is, in our present circumstance, that little bit of extra money just isn't worth it to me. This is why:
1. This is Alberta, and Winter's on it's Way
I'm not exaggerating when I say this is almost certainly our last week of summer. The snow already flew two days last week (yes, that is snow on those pumpkin leaves below) and the geese are honking overhead while I type. Once November comes, sure, I'll suddenly have tons of free time on my hands, but I'll also be knee-deep in snow, the days will be short, and the temperature will have dipped below -20 celsius. Perhaps I am crazy, but living in this cold, northern climate is to blame. I'm going to give up that last pay check to get a week of summer (or pseudo-summer, as the case may be) to myself.
2. Life's Short and You Never Know When You're Going to be Hit By a Truck (Proverbial or Otherwise)
I can't guarantee I'll still be on this planet in November, but I'm here today and have the opportunity to make a choice about how I spend this precious day. Spending a week gardening, painting, and blogging while my kids are at daycare and school and my husband is at work . . . well, that sounds pretty darn good.
3. The Future is Unknown; What I Know is Now
Once I start a new job, assuming I find one, how long will it be before I can take vacation again? And how long will it be before I find that job? How much of a financial hit will my family take from my unemployment? Perhaps I'll have a new job right away . . .or perhaps it will be a long time and there will be a long battle back before there are savings again for a family vacation. Right now, I've earned the vacation time, I still have an income, and this little staycation is costing us nothing (beyond the paint I plan to apply to the garage door and the delicious food I plan to cook). So I'll take it while I've got it.
4. For 5 Years My Priorities Have Been (Apparently) all Wrong - I Don't Want to Miss the Opportunity to Get Them Right
I don't want this one to sound like sour grapes, but for almost five years I've sacrificed personal time and family time to build a career . . . a career that now isn't happening. As many of us do when building our careers, I skimped on vacation time, worked long hours, overly relied on my partner and family members while I traveled, took on extra projects, and even took dramatically abbreviated mat leaves - all because I didn't want to miss out on professional opportunity. It wasn't for naught: I absolutely loved my job, and I was rewarded by it - to a point. Now, however, I have to wonder if I made the right types of sacrifices. . . . But I am so, so glad and thankful that I get to wonder about this today rather than twenty years from now. My kids still have time in their childhood, I still have health and energy, my husband and I still have a strong marriage, and together we have options.
So there you have it. My reasons for taking a staycation. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy these 5 days. I'll have plenty of time over the coming weeks and months for pondering, second guessing, rationalizing, and agonizing over the choices I've made, and what comes next. But for this week, I have just one goal. To look back and say, "Wow! Look at all the amazing stuff I got done!!!"
And so, I am off to project number 1: The garage door I started painting last summer but was just too busy . . . AT WORK . . . to finish. Here we go!
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