Me-Cation, We-Cation

Van3ssa via Pixabay

 Last Thursday, I finished my grading one day ahead of schedule and, on Friday, I took a me-cation--the last one of the 2023 calendar year. I "puttered," moving from one thing I wanted to do to the next, reassuring myself there was no hurry, and that a me-cation day didn't have to be productivity-oriented.

The weekend was busy, prepping for, traveling to, and attending a family party and then taking a quick overnight trip out to see my daughter.

The trip to see our daughter? That was a we-cation. Multiple perspectives, multiple objectives, all of which had to be balanced in order for a good time to be had by all.

Today, back at home, we're entering day two of our "we-cation." My husband is off until January. While I'm happy for him and happy to have him around, I long ago learned that a we-cation is not the same as a me-cation.

'Tis the season, in fact, for me-cations and we-cations.

On a me-cation day, I can sleep in, meandering downstairs when it suits me. 

On a we-cation day with my early bird husband, if I sleep in too late, I feel guilty. 

On a me-cation day, I can set up my laptop anywhere in the house without fear of being disturbed. If I take a break to use the bathroom, switch over the laundry, or get something to eat (all while keeping the text of whatever I was writing running through my subconscious), I can sometimes untangle the knots  in my writing and get myself unstuck.

On a we-cation day, I write in my office, typically with the door (Hallelujah! I finally have door!) closed to block out distractions (like my husband answering the door to a solicitor I would have ignored, or running up and down the steps 20 feet away to engage in a project upstairs). If and when I emerge from my cave, I should not be surprised to hear the beeping of the smoke detector as he changes the battery. When I groan, I should not be surprised to hear, "Oh. Are you still writing?"

You get the picture.

I love my husband. I'm happy he's able to be home and doing his own puttering over the holidays, and I'm sure we'll also have some fun we-cation adventures. But, after a particularly long semester, it's sometimes a bit frustrating to realize that my next me-cation day is 14 days away.

But who's counting?