I actually like being on vacation

I wrote recently that I’m not very good at the “rest” thing. But our two weeks on a faraway island were very enjoyable.

What made it like that? While we were there, I noticed myself calming down. Part of it was the lack of crowds. Was it that, or the lack of car traffic? Was it that people never (well, hardly ever) seemed to be in a hurry? I think it was all those things, but after we got home, I began to understand what else:

• In the mail was a letter from the DMV. I committed an infraction, a traffic violation, about a year ago. I went to traffic school to get the point erased from my record, but the DMV was reporting my violation to our insurance company, which of course increased my premium. It was not a small increase. So last January, I filled out the form asking why they were being so mean to me. The letter said: “the court hasn’t certified that you completed traffic school.” I spent some quality time on my computer, tracking down the information, then thought to look at the court’s website. After some study, I made a note to myself to call them Tuesday morning.
• There was email from my insurance company; I thought I had sent them several hundred dollars for the first installment on this year's earthquake insurance, but they never got it. I actually couldn’t find any record of having sent it, other than my scribbled “should arrive May 21.” So another electronic errand...
• The bank emailed me that they believed that a certain credit card charge was valid (I had disputed the charge); they sent a letter that included a receipt, supposedly signed by us, proving that we made the charge. The slip had our room number on it, but the handwriting on the receipt was not ours, and whatever they wrote on the slip, it was neither our names nor our initials. This was not a small charge. I composed a short note explaining that yes, that was our room number on the slip, but… I also whined that the vendor is irresponsible for not reading the room number from the key or at least verifying the surname. Another electronic errand.
• The post also contained a notification that Bentley’s animal license fees were overdue. They asked for a reply in case Bentley had died. Another electronic errand.

There were other errands, electronic and otherwise, but you get the idea. I decided that part of the wonder of that experience was being on that island, but another part was being on vacation.

And by “on vacation” I don’t mean “not doing my software job.” What I mean is, not being responsible for dead pets, whining at people who charge me for things I didn’t buy or couldn’t use, missed payments, government agencies, etc.

As our cab driver said, “Back to reality.”