Post-Vacation Blues

Lately I've been experiencing the post-vacation blues. I've realized I'm not in Western Europe, as pretty as some of the DC architecture is. That body of water outside my office is not the Mediterranean; it's the Potomac. Rather than sleeping in daily, followed by mindlessly wandering around exploring the city, art museums and galleries, I have to go to work. Cappuccino breaks every two hours are not exactly encouraged at my employer. The late-night lifestyle and midnight dinners of tapas does not exactly coincide with getting to work at 8:30 in the morning, either.

So what's a girl to do? Well, I am trying to infuse daily doses of "vacation" into my lifestyle and attempting to maintain that sense of complete relaxation one has upon returning from vacation. A few minor lifestyle changes have done me well. For starters, I've been getting to work earlier so I can leave earlier and have more of a life on week nights. My lunch time routine of eating a peanut butter sandwich while continuing to work at my desk (precious minutes saved multitasking!) has been replaced with a daily walk by the river during lunch (although the peanut butter sandwich remains). My increased vacation levels of coffee have been maintained, with a cup in the afternoon as well as the morning. And I do feel more relaxed, so... I guess that will hold me over until the next vacation!