I’m really bad at taking vacations. I’m on one right now. For the last few, they’ve been what you would call a “staycation.” That’s not to say I don’t have grand plans going in; it’s just everything I want to do is around home so why go somewhere else.
I always think about all the things I’d like to get done around the house. I know it’s a little lame to 
take a vacation and then plan all the fun housework you’re going to do, but the thought of having a few days where I can get caught up on some chores is slightly intoxicating for a homebody like myself. For instance, this time I thought I’d spend the first couple days cleaning up some of the dead leaves that have fallen. I had gone so far as to make a big pile of them a few days ago, but it was getting dark so I left the bagging for another day. I was about to go bag them this morning and noticed that more had fallen, making me turn back inside and think that maybe this was better left for another day. I wasn’t in a raking mood.
I also planned on putting up the Christmas lights around the house. My neighbors are starting to outclass me. A few days off work would be the perfect time to at least add my house to the lit displays on the block. Then I started thinking how there’s about a week left until Christmas, so was it really worth dragging out the ladder, untangling the bulbs and trying to find a good place where I can run the cords? Eh. Maybe I’ll get to it tomorrow. I can at least leave them up until the new year, right?
It wasn’t all housework though. I thought maybe I could get out and see some movies that I’ve been meaning to catch. Haven’t done that yet, but there’s still time. I also wanted to catch up with some friends, but schedules haven’t worked out so far. Which is odd because I really have nothing to do, so maybe they’re trying to tell me something? I did take the dogs for a bath, which was most certainly not a vacation for them but I was able to check that off my list.
I suppose it’ll come down to Sunday night when I’ll realize I’m about to go back to work. I can then start thinking about the things I didn’t get to this week. Maybe next vacation? Time to start planning.
Matt Stoker
