Vacation @ Work – Return

Why is it that vacations seem to lose their effect so quickly? Just an hour back at work and it’s as though I was never gone! In fact, it’s a real struggle not to spend the last couple of days thinking about what might be waiting for me on my return to work.

Am I the only one who feels like nothing got done while I was away, and that the clear instructions I thought I’d left somehow didn’t get followed? Or that no old crises were resolved but several new ones have arisen? Or that the activities that had plenty of time to complete have now become emergencies because no progress was made.

No wonder returning to work is so hard sometimes. In my case, I found a complex deal not advanced, a legal issue not noticed, negotiations with a tax authority on a go-slow, and hold ups for a cash influx that would cover our end of October payroll. None of this is really so out of the ordinary. The question is how do we handle it?

In theory, I returned from vacation refreshed, reinvigorated and ready to go. In practice, I must confess that this deluge of disappointment got me down within an hour of my arrival back. When I say it got me down, what it really did was to drag my eyes down – looking at the immediate challenges and issues and no longer looking to the sovereign, gracious God who called me here in the first place. How easily we can fall sometimes!

Where was my gratitude to my colleagues for keeping things going (even if not in the way I would have done them) so that I could take time off? Where was my acknowledgement that if things didn’t get finished, they wouldn’t necessarily have done if I’d been here (certainly true of some of them)? Why was I not prepared to admit that it was my poor preparation and delegation that had led to some of my disappointments? You’d think I’d learn.

OK enough self-flagellation! There are several lessons here to be learned I think.

1. Vacations provide an opportunity not just to relax and rest, but also to refocus ad recharge. This is done by taking time with God, extending devotional times, walking or sitting with Him, talking through difficult spiritual matters, and sharing love with others.
2. Preparation for vacations is important – providing clear statements of expectations from others (and making sure they’re reasonable)
3. Preparation for return to work is more than just forcing stress and worry under the rug till we get back. We must expect surprises and approach them with the healthier perspective our vacation should have provided.
4. While we are on vacation, others are trying to take up the slack – their stress and workload have gone up. Recognizing this with gratitude is far better than complaining about shortcomings.

Hmm – perhaps I should take another vacation in short order so that I can try these things out.