Ok, I did it. For the
first time in recent memory I took a full week’s vacation … and not only that,
I went unplugged from work. Anyone that
knows me knows I’m a bit of a workaholic control freak! My iPhone is NEVER far from my side, save the
shower, and then it’s on the bathroom counter.
I keep the volume turned on if I actually let one of the gifts play with
it, and they know, without question or hesitation that if it makes the “bing”
sound, they must hand it back to me immediately so I can check it. This is how I live, and I’m used to it.
The Saturday of my first night of vacation we had some
friends over. Friends that we’d met
through the oldest gifts class. He and
she had been in class together since JK and they’ve just completed grade
2. Her mother is a SAHM, and is rather
introverted and shy. Yep, she is the
polar opposite of me, but her husband is very outgoing and charismatic, so I
think she likes that I’m bit like him.
She asked me what I do about work when I’m on vacation. Well, I usually check my email, but I’d
already warned work that BBE was going to throw my phone in the St Lawrence
while we were in Montreal if I worked, so I did the unthinkable. I disabled my work email from my iPhone. I thought I’d start shaking and sweating, but
the liquid courage (in the form of a lovely Sauvignon Blanc) gave me courage. I figured I’d wake up with a hangover and a
giant regret as I scrambled to reconnect my email to my lifeline, however,
neither happened the next morning. I woke
up feeling refreshed and excited about a week free of work.
I did it, and it was FREEING. I reconnected my email to my iPhone (for the
record, it’s my personal iPhone as the company does not provide me with one and
it’s completely my choice to stay connected as I do). They’re used to me checking my emails while
not at work, and everyone spoke to me upon my return as if I was 100% up to
date and in the loop. I wasn’t, and I
just smiled, managed through my 8:00 am communications meeting the morning I
returned throwing out phrases like “I’m still following up on that” or “I haven’t
heard back yet, I’ll check”. No one seemed to notice my absence for a
week. While I assumed I’d be
crestfallen, like the organization would crumble without me, I was thrilled
that I managed to set things up well enough that things could run smoothly in
my absence, and I could slide right back in and pick up where things were left
off with my batteries completely recharged and ready to face work happily.
It also gives me hope that if I do go out on maternity leave
again, that it would be devastating. Shhhhhhhhh that’s for another blog J
