Oct 19, 2004 3 min read

I had a lot planned. Each year this time I take what I call my “big’ vacation. That means two consecutive weeks away from my means of financial support.

And, each year before I take that break from the office I plan on what I want to accomplish during my vacation.

This year the list included cutting down a dead tree in the back yard, touching up some paint chips on my car as well as washing and waxing it, doing a little bit of experimental writing for myself, getting my home computer reprogrammed, taking a few trips to special places, watching my diet and getting some more exercise to shed a few pounds, etc.

Now that my vacation is over I look back to see how much I accomplished.

Nada. Nothing. Zip.

At least in terms of what I planned to accomplish.

The tree still stands, the car paint is still chipped (and the vehicle is just as dirty today as it was two weeks ago), there was no writing or computer reprogramming, we visited two out of about six places I wanted to see and if anything I gained a few pounds instead of losing a few.

I can’t say the vacation was productive but it sure was restful.

And, I suppose, that’s what a vacation should really be.

All of those chores, whether they were necessary or of my own volition to complete, may still be there (I feel bad about the tree and the car) and I know sooner or later I will get them done. But I only take one big vacation each year, if you know what I mean.

Past years have seen my lovely wife and I hustling around preparing for a trip and, although enjoying visiting some historic site or favored recreation area, we usually returned home worn out, beat, ready to crash.

That doesn’t seem to fit with the definition of vacation. My dictionary says it’s a respite of time or a respite from something. Respite, also according to my dictionary, means an interval of rest or relief.

Of course, if you asked my wife about it, she’d probably say I get plenty or respite all year long. However, I didn’t hear her complaining much about the time we spent together nor what we did.

So just what did I do on my summer vacation if I didn’t complete any of my planned tasks?

Well, I read about a half dozen books (My wife and I are fond of mysteries), watched a little TV, spent more time in our door-to-door ministry (my wife and I are Jehovah’s Witnesses, as I have mentioned before), visited my parents several times (which is more than I can usually do during regular weeks), spent some time with my wife’s grand-nephews (ages 2 and 4 months), shopped and napped.

It’s surprising how much time all that takes.

So if the other things got pushed to the back burner, well, they just got pushed to the back burner.

In the end, I can’t say the time was wasted. In fact, I think next year I might revise my list of to-do things before my big vacation.

What will I put on it?

All of the above.

And I don’t mean cutting trees or repairing anything.

Have a good day.

Jim Pletcher is the Herald-Standard’s business editor.