#1537, Friday, November 6: Vacation anxiety

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Post 1537, Day 310 of 2015
- 1,771 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

How unique is my current situation? I'm living like I'm already retired, except I still have a job. A near-perfect final job. Little-to-no stress, regular, predictable hours, enough salary to pay all my bills, allowing me to accumulate some retirement savings and afford a couple of jet-there vacations every year.

Those vacations have been a major factor in my contentment. And I am blessed (and grateful for) the peace of mind this situation allows me, living without fear.

And the vacations? I really don't have anything driving me away from my day-to-day life. I don't need a vacation to de-stress. I don't have enough stress to make that a priority, and when stress does come my way, I cope really well, and don't feel stressed-out for long.

However, a change of scene is very refreshing. Living temporarily with different priorities, different opportunities, with different scenery and climate, in other words, creating a change in perceptions, that's recreation on a grand scale. No matter how modest the circumstances seem compared to the fictional world of media-advertised luxury escape-from-the-rat-race getaways, this style of getting away works for me.

I find vacations entertaining. It doesn't hurt that they're always among people I love but whose company I don't get to enjoy regularly. That factor alone makes shorter vacations in New York City and Sharon, occasionally Woodstock and Westchester, so memorable. That is quality time right there.

One of the unknowns about my post-retirement life is what that will mean when it comes to vacations. The motivation won't change, but since I have set myself up to play more gigs post-retirement, the timing may be a greater challenge. The people I gig with depend on me - in most cases, if I can't be there, the gig is off (as in, not booked. I don't bail on my commitments).

The early bookings for 2016 are making it a challenge to block out time away from Syracuse. But it isn't something I will worry about. I am not going to reestablish the neurosis of future-based anxiety at this point.

It's another nice problem to have.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   206.0 lbs.

Previous Weight (11/5):           207.2 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                    - 1.2 lbs.

Diet Comment

Staying on plan yesterday paid off.

Food Log

Breakfast
A Quest bar.

Lunch
At Core:

Chicken Cobb salad (shredded kale and romaine, grilled chicken, avocado, bacon, hard-cooked egg, broccoli, mushrooms and bleu cheese dressing). Not shown: A cup of chicken bone broth.

Snack
A Quest bar.

Dinner 
Cheeseburger with cole slaw and a Quest bar.

Snack
Two Quest bars.

Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 2;  Coffee: 24 oz.;  Water: 84+ oz. A shot of Apple whiskey, a glass of apple beer. 

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