or What I’m Doing with My Leap Day
Maybe it’s not professional to admit to it, but I’m taking a day off. I’m not showing up for work at this keyboard on Monday – not at all. Commas will have to remain misplaced. Fragments will remain, er, fragmented. And let’s not talk about what those dangling modifiers will do….
I say it’s not professional only because there’s a faction of the working world that believes any mention of having a life outside the office is considered tacky or worse, political suicide. I’m sorry. That’s a group of careerists I like to refer to as “lunatics”. Even the most driven senior executive knows there’s a real need to break away and recuperate once in a while. While I know a few people from the lunatic crowd, I know quite a few more from the sane crowd.
I remember working for a lunatic once – very briefly. See, he was the type who worked until midnight and expected others to be just as “devoted” to the vicious cycle. He called me out of the blue after I hadn’t heard from him for over a month and a half, and told me he expected me to help him the following week. I had to inform him I was out of the office the following week. I didn’t specify where I was going, but he actually had the audacity to say, “Didn’t you just have a vacation?” That I agreed to speak with him midweek in my vacation week (he guessed correctly) ticked me off. That he never called pi$$ed me off. That he determined we weren’t a match immediately after bothered me none. He wasn’t worth it. No one who expects you to lose yourself in your work ever is.
So, off I run to have fun. I’m going to live the stereotype and spend some time with a friend at Starbucks. Then I might just spend the day enjoying the outdoors. I know I’m going to enjoy knowing I’m doing something for me, and that’s quite okay.
Lori, I tell you, this post really hit home. In fact, the main reason that I left the I.T. field for the much-less-profitable field of Internet writing was that even when I was on vacation, I wasn’t. If a piece of Network equipment went down and I happened to be in Chicago visiting friends, I had to find the nearest Kinko’, VPN into the network, and walk one of the PC techs through fixing the problem.
Oh, yeah. Did I mention it was three in the morning? On a Saturday?!?
Having said that, I think that I am a harder boss on myself than any other boss I’ve ever had. I have to force myself to take a day off. Even when I do, I find myself sneaking through the various freelance sites looking for extra work. Its pitiful, really.
Enjoy the Starbucks. And don’t bring your laptop, either. They do have Wi-Fi. No reason to tempt yourself.
Good for you for taking a day off, Lori. I hope you completely enjoy yourself. And don’t worry about those dangling modifiers. They’ll still be dangling when you get back. 🙂
I have a hard time taking time off, but I’m taking off next week to visit my sister on the farm with no Internet access. I’m looking forward to a week of no work, no e-mail, no phone calls …
Enjoy your day off, Lori, and wade into some chocolate while you’re at it! That always makes me feel better. 🙂
Smiles,
Michele
Hope you luxuriate in the time off. You soooo deserve it!
Enjoy your time off! You totally deserve it. 😉
Lori, glad you’re taking some time off, but I hope you won’t wait until next leap year to take another day for yourself. 🙂