A Vacation Changed Everything
When I was in university, I would do 12 hours of school in one day. On the days that I wasn’t there for long periods of time, I was working. I had a weekend job, so I didn’t go out partying or really go anywhere. It was school, then work. Even after graduating, I was balancing two jobs, and I never took time off to be with friends or family. I was always “the girl who always works.” I wouldn’t spend a long weekend at home. Why? Because I was working. However, something changed. I finally got a job where vacation is paid, and hours are accumulated by how much you work. One time in February of 2021, I took a vacation; it was the first one I had taken in five years. I got on a plane to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and for the first time in a long time, I experienced beaches with sunsets and sunrises. I drank mojitos by the pool and skipped the cold snap. “I could get used to this,” I told myself as I drank a pina colada and read a book while the sun gave me a tan. Since then, I’ve been prioritizing going on vacation in February. I work the full week of Christmas, other than Christmas Day and Boxing Day, just to dream about my goal of being back in Mexico for the coldest month here.
