Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Art of a "Working Vacation"

Um, so basically work conferences are the best things ever.

Case in point: by the time my substitute was most likely getting verbally or physically assaulted this morning, I had a steamy cup of Starbucks in hand and was just leaving for work. And by "work" I mean I sat in the gorgeous Raleigh Convention Center and learned how to help my kids be better readers. I? Could soooo get used to this.

Did I mention I hunted down a sushi restaurant lunch? Considering I'm usually wolfing down cold leftovers from my lunch box, I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to heaven.

Is this what real people jobs are like?

Since I seem to have more and more similarities with Howard Hughes the older I become, I'm also relishing days with little pockets of solitude. At home, I'm rarely alone. I carpool to work, share my classroom with boys large enough to play in the NFL, and live with two girls. As much as I love all of it, nothing recharges me like being totally, completely alone. After the conference ended today, I spent two blissful hours in Barnes and Noble without a person to answer to. I hunted down a Moe's for dinner without having to bounce ideas off of anyone else. I stayed as long as i wanted and drove wherever i wanted. I just did it. And it was glorious.

So yes, I realize I'm 5 days away from being 26 and I'm spending my evenings buying bargain books on how to grow your own herb garden.

Weird, maybe. Antisocial, yes. Luckily, once you're at the point of buying DIY gardening books, your concern about what other people think of you is next to zero.

And if you need me? I'll be out back growing mint for my mojitos.

3 comments:

Mandi @ Southern Gnome said...

Growing Mint for mojitos isn't a bad idea. It was the sole reason for the mint in my little herb garden last year. :-) And solitude is underrated. Sometimes you just need to be alone. Believe me. Being a mom, I relish in the times I get to go to the bathroom by myself.

Unknown said...

Well I got super excited when I got a gardening magazine yesterday, so count me in as caring little about what others think. I'm pretty sure I got there when I bought a pair of pink crocs. And yes- "real people jobs" are spent going to conferences, luncheons, meetings and doing lunch all the live long day. What else are you planning to grow in your herb garden? I'm planning mine out now.

Lynne said...

I confess to thinking the same thing about my colleagues when they go to meetings. I know that they will be sitting, listening, learning, all that good stuff. But the bottom line is - they're not at work and I am. Glad you got to enjoy some solitude.

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