Every year at this time, I put Best Friends at the Bar on hold to spend time with family and friends. It is a month-long hiatus that I know is enviable but that I feel entitled to after all these years. And I LOVE it. I will be at the Massachusetts shore with friends and at the Maine shore with family, and I can’t wait for the games to begin!
It is not that my work is over or that my desk is clear. That is not the case at all. I am completing the manuscript for a new book, on deadline for a book proposal, developing a new soft skills program for associate lawyers, and writing speeches and developing Power Point slides for presentations in the Fall. I am plenty busy. But, that is not the point.
Vacation does not happen when your desk is clear. Vacation happens when you need it and when your loved ones are available. If you wait for the desk to be clear, vacation never will happen. If you wait until someone at work tells you that the time is right, trust me, the time will never be right.
Understand what you need and what you have a right to expect. You can do the math. If you are on target with billable hours and have not taken your allotted vacation for the year, what are you waiting for? It is time to act. Go dip your toes in the ocean like me or go climb a mountain or take a cruise. August is the perfect month for taking a break and chilling out. September is a time when the law profession springs back into action. After that, you are lucky if you get a break until Christmas Eve.
Go for it. I know I will. And, when September rolls around, I will be ready to go full steam ahead to grab the brass ring!
See you then.
