Vacation

Today was the third day of the first paid vacation I've been able to take since 1998. I suppose most people don't realize that delivery drivers are so dependent on their tips as income that they can't usually afford to take vacation. While the restaurant for which they drive will normally offer a paid vacation program, few drivers can ever afford to take a full vacation, because to do so would mean that their income would be severely reduced.

You've just read the beginning of my post...and here is the rest of it.

During the past couple of months, I've been existing in a depressed funk (see my article, "Lemonade Man”), and I haven't been doing much of anything--just going through the motions of working, sleeping, eating, and spending time with my daughter. Reality had become so painfully overwhelming that I had escaped almost entirely into the world of online video games. As a result, the portion of the house in which I live (I share a house with my brother and our friend) became seriously neglected, to the point where everything was a jumbled mess, and I could barely see the floor through all the debris.

At the onset of my vacation, I made cleaning this living area (a space approximately twenty feet square) first on my agenda. My three-year-old daughter, who has been asking me to clean house for the past month, was delighted. She started out helping me with great zeal, but soon became bored and distracted by her toys, books, and movies. This is quite fine and understandable from my point of view (she is only three years old, after all).

By the end of my second day of vacation, I had the place approximately eighty percent clean, and my daughter had begun to complain that I wasn't playing with her enough. So, I took today off from cleaning and spent time with Meghan.

There is something therapeutic in playing with a child--escaping, if only momentarily, into the world of Mega Blocks, stuffed animals, Lincoln Logs, and children's books. Not only does it help liberate one's soul from the stresses and struggles of day-to-day life, but it also strengthens the bond between parent and child.

Meghan (and I) both played hard today, and I felt we were having so much of a good time together that I allowed her to skip her afternoon nap. So, she fell fast asleep this evening and is now sleeping quite soundly. She'll probably sleep until ten o'clock in the morning.

Several years ago, I came up with an idea for a company. I doubt I'll ever do it, but it sure would be funny. In the United States, most companies will not allow an employee to carry vacation time over from one year to the next, accumulating paid time off. In most cases, if you don't use your vacation time by the end of the current year, you lose any unused time and have to start the new year from scratch, building up new vacation time as you go.

My idea was to start a company, in which I would offer to take other people's vacation time for them, so that it would not be wasted. My clients could simply sign a contract, allowing me to receive the vacation pay on their behalf, and I would then have the responsibility of using the money in an enjoyable and relaxing manner.

The funny thing is, that I recently heard something on the radio about some companies where people are trying to arrange it so that unused vacation time can be given to other employees within the same company--like, for instance, if Jane got sick and needed extended time off, but she had used up all her sick leave and vacation time...then other employees could donate vacation time to her, so that she would still have income.

I like this idea. It's not only philanthropic, but it's also altruistic, and I'm all about altruism.

Due to my diminished level of personal income, I found myself unable to travel during this vacation. I will take a trip to my mother's house (one hundred and fifty miles from my house), but aside from that, there will be no spending on this vacation of mine. But, you know what? I'm fine with that. There is something to be said for being able to just stay at home for a change and relax--especially when much of my life anymore is driving here and there and everywhere, running errands, picking up my daughter, dropping off my daughter, commuting to and from work...to stay inside the house for several days in a row (with the occasional run to the grocery store) has been a real treat for me.

Today, my daughter and I made Halloween decorations together. Not having the budget to purchase some, and not having already owned some, I turned to the age-old (and unfortunately, all-too-oft forgotten) tradition of creating homemade decorations. My daughter gets a lot more enjoyment out of this than she would out of opening and putting up store-bought decorations anyway, and so do I.

With nothing more than a stack of printer paper, a pair of scissors, a roll of transparent tape, a black ink pen, and an orange magic marker, my daughter and I covered our glass front door with ghosts, pumpkins, cats, a witch, and a bat. I did the cutting, Meghan did the coloring, and together we taped them all to the door. It was great fun!

I'm glad I took the break from cleaning today. Tomorrow evening, Meghan returns to her mother for one day. I'll finish the cleaning while she's away.