I’m facing a big challenge this week. I’m going on vacation. I can’t remember any vacation I’ve taken in the past five years that was not a “working” vacation. That’s called an oxymoron.

For the past five years, every vacation I’ve taken entailed my bringing work with me. I managed to violate all my beliefs about work/life balance. No blame intended, but my husband is a serious workaholic who can’t go away for even a weekend without bringing work along. That leaves me with big blocks of time where I easily give in to our cultural insanity and open up one of my work projects instead of…well you know what…reading a trashy novel or staring at the ocean!

Yes — we exist within a culture that encourages prioritizing work over health, heart and holiness. Studies report that Americans use only 51% of their paid vacation time. Twenty-five percent of employees talk to a colleague or boss about work related issues while on vacation. When Americans go on vacation, 61% of us bring work with us.

We are a nation of overachievers and workaholics with serious consequences to family and community life, as well as to our mental and physical health:

• Increased risk of heart disease, for both men and women
• Greater chance of stress-related sickness like headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and adrenal gland fatigue
• Burnout

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.  Robert Orben

On this vacation, I am not bringing work with me. In fact, I am not bringing my computer. I’m not even bringing my husband! (sorry honey…)

• I plan to let the days unfold like a mystery and follow the clues to buried treasures.
• I plan to re-engage with my playful side.
• I plan to just “hang out” as I remember doing when I was a teenager. No meeting agendas and no “next appointment” hanging over my time with friends and family.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Hasta la próxima,

Marsha