Friday, June 18, 2010

What would you do with 40 extra hours?

Starting Monday, I am taking 5 days of forced vacation. I've acrued enough paid personal leave with my job that my employer insists I "use it or lose it" by the end of June. I'm going to have an extra 8 hours of free time every day for a week. Wow. That's almost as good as someone dropping me off at Barnes and Noble with a $1000 gift card.

So my dilema is, what do I do with all this free time? I could fritter away the whole week sleeping in, catching up on my "books to be read" pile, taking afternoon naps, and watching inane reality TV on cable. But I don't want to get to the end of the week and wonder where it went.

Should I duct tape myself to my chair and do nothing but write? Should I hack my way through the jungle that is supposed to be our yard and garden? Should I dive into some of those household cleaning and organizing projects that just never seem to get done? I suppose I could spend some time preparing three balanced meals for my family every day. But that might be too much of a shock to their systems. I'd better be careful with that one.

I need to come up with a plan.

What would you do with all that free time?

6 comments:

  1. Marta,
    Have you been looking in my window? I don't have vacation days because I don't work outside my home anymore, but your to-do list looks just like mine and it makes me feel a bit ashamed that I'm not working full-time like I did for quite awhile, and still not getting to things I need to get done.

    But just for you, do some writing everyday. It will be balm to your soul. It feels so good to be getting back to my writing and art, now I've simply got to get back to my blogging.

    Hazel

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  2. Ooh, the choices. I say do a little bit of everything. Except maybe the three meals part, that might set a scary precedent!

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  3. Write. Definitely write! Sounds like heaven!

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  4. Road Trip! Road Trip with books on CD!! I love the drive between Cali and Utie. I love the refreshing scenery and the chance to let my mind relax, pray, wander, create. Even if you just drive several hours, it's a chance to clear the head and enter a new dimension. Good Luck. Have a great week!

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  5. As some of the others said, I'd do some of everything on your list PLUS something you just WANT to do. If it's a road trip, so be it. If it's a nap, I'm good with that. :) Maybe just have a video/food day with your family. Whatever you do, enjoy. And Congrats on "found" time!

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  6. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I do plan to do a lot of writing. (And don't tell anyone, but I might just sneak off to see a movie all by myself.) (Or at least Baskin Robbins.)

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