Insight - Going away and coming back - By Michelle Libby

From the looks of things on social media last week, most of the northern half of the country went south. There were a few of you who went to the mountains to ski or snowboard, but everyone else went to where the warm winds blow and someone makes your bed for you every day. 
 

I was one of those people who went south…very south…out of the country south. 

I had to do a lot of work before leaving, as most working moms have to do, then we left and hoped that everything would be awesome. 

St. Thomas, USVI

I read an article this morning about how important vacations are for work environments. Employees who take mandatory vacations are healthier and happier with their jobs. Blood pressures drop and stress can melt away if the employee can disconnect from the job. 

The article went on to suggest that some businesses allow their employees to take vacations whenever they want and as many times as they want. I guess bosses would find out which employees like their jobs and which ones would rather be somewhere else with that option. 

The vacation I went on was awesome. There’s something to be said for mandatory unplugging, except for a little social media for $5 a day. While on the cruise people waited on me, smiled at me when I walked past, remembered my name and filled my water glass over and over again during dinner. We played games, swam in the ocean, toured foreign lands (sort of) USVI and Puerto Rico. We also dressed up for dinner and attended live productions and comedy shows. 

What’s not to like? Well for my brother-in-law the motion of the ocean was too much for him and he jumped ship on day four. (I can’t blame him. It was rough and he was really ill.

When I returned home I was surprised that not every was having a good time. Not everyone smiled back when I smiled at them. People didn’t go out of their way to make sure I was having a wonderful day…wait…this is real life? 

I think we as a society need to take some more time off to relax, play some golf or get out of town for a day. Even a little change of pace can have a positive effect on your well-being. I hope that everyone gets a chance to get away and rejuvenate. It’s a good thing.