This is the view from my “office” on the beach this week, as I write this blog. It has taken me years to learn to experience and appreciate the value of taking a vacation.
We are all influenced by our family and how our parents functioned. My family did not believe in vacations; they worked their business from early morning to late at night. Holidays were celebrated but the business seemed to always come first. During my years of living with my parents, I can only remember taking two vacations—one when I was seven and one to visit schools being considered for my college education.
Vacation is defined by Merriam Dictionary as “an intermission or time given to an employee off from their work.” My first real experience seeing the use of a vacation was going to our bank to make the company’s deposit. I always used the same bank teller. Yet, one day when I walked into the bank, my personal teller who knew me was gone. I asked the substitute where my friend was. She answered, “She is on VACATION.” I later found out this was standard policy, established for security reasons.
Today, I still find going on vacation a difficult event but I now understand the importance of it. I believe it is important to get away from one’s normal routine and take a breather. It allows you to take account of what you are doing. If you are an owner of your business, employee vacations allow you to make sure you can continue to operate without being overly dependent on any one individual. In most situations, you or your employee come back refreshed and with batteries recharged with new ideas, ready to tackle the challenges of one’s position and business.
Vacation—the intermission from the normal—is a healthy event which must be planned for all of us!