There’s no such thing as “vacation” these days, and I don’t mind at all

“Just because I’m still on vacation,” I tweeted this morning, “doesn’t mean I can’t get up at 6:00 AM with my kid.”

Within minutes, I got a reply from my friend and fellow parent Mike Beltzner, reminding me that all “vacation” means these days is “a period of time when I don’t go to work.”

That may be true, but you won’t hear me complaining. I didn’t have to go to the office today, and there’s no snow where I am. Plus, I’d sound like a real jackass if I complained about one early morning after my wife did a few in a row.

But to be honest, it was just an awesome morning. My kid was in a great mood, and we spent a couple of hours goofing around and letting everyone else sleep in. It was everything I wanted to do in the moment, with no inclination or pressure to worry about anything else.

If that’s not the point of a vacation, I don’t know what is. And to be honest, I don’t really want a day off from it. At this point, I don’t think I’d know what to do with myself.

We’ve got a few days left in our vacation, but I’ve already gotten to the point at which my regular routine seems like a weird, foreign hypothetical. That’s a great state of mind, because it lets you step back and think about what you can change when you get there.

For one thing, I’d like to take on more of my kid’s morning. Much like an exercise routine, the first and simplest step is usually the hardest. But once you’re out of bed and into the swing of things, you’re bound to remember how worthwhile it is, and how much fun you have doing it.

You don’t have to take a vacation to rethink your routine, of course; even a few minutes to reevaluate the habits you take for granted can make a big difference. It’s worth asking what you would change if you could – and it’s worth recognizing that there’s probably nothing stopping you.

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