Dog Tired (Yellow Lab)
Cross-posted from my other blog, ByGrace.
My husband was the assistant pastor for our home church in Texas for over six years. During those years, we went through a time every summer when attendance and giving would drop significantly. Our pastor called it Summer Slump. People were on vacation and routines were unsettled. All we could do was wait for summer to be over and people to get back into their regular routines, and life would go back to normal.
Something similar happens to me whenever we take any kind of vacation, even a short one like this week's. I hit Vacation Slump. I do well immediately after we get home, like I did Thursday night, putting everything away so we're ready to live real life again the next day. But real life always runs the other way - or maybe that's ME running the other way. All I want to do is sleep and eat. I don't want to cook or wash dishes (can't we just keep eating out?); I don't want to do laundry (can't you people quit wearing all those clothes?); I don't want to do anything (doesn't a nap sound nice?). It's bad. Real bad.
So I thought I'd ask if you deal with Vacation Slump when you get home from a trip. How do you motivate yourself - and your kids - to pick up with everyday life and get back into your routines? I'd love to hear how you do it!
4 comments:
I'm curious to hear what others have to say. For me.....there's one main thing that keeps me motivated. It's my piano students. Lessons start on Tuesdays, and they have to walk all the way through my house to get to the piano. So that's motivation to keep the living room and bath clean. The kitchen is really small, so we have to keep it clean to use it..so I guess that helps there.
Melody, I have a similar motivation, but it doesn't happen till Thursday: our midweek Bible study service is in our home. That helps get me back on track by Thursday, anyway! Our entire downstairs is open to our guests, though, as we serve coffee in the kitchen and the guest bath is reached by passing through the edge of the kitchen.
I remember Emilie Barnes saying in one of her bookds that she cleaned really well before she left on a trip. She'd be sweeping off the steps while her husband was waiting for her to get into the car to leave.
I think if I could leave the house really clean and organized and have a few meals planned for our return, that would be great. Also If I could plan one more day off from work after getting home, instead of having to rush off to work the next morning after getting home, that would be really great!
I noticed our church attendance is down yesterday too! As soon as Labor Day passes, it'll be packed again.
Debbie, I do know that cleaning before we leave does help when we walk in the door. I hate coming home to a huge mess! Having some meals planned for the first few days after our return is something I haven't done, other than my general monthly plan (which is just the main dish for dinner for each day). That's a good idea! Thanks for your input!
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