PVMD and PCRS

For our honeymoon, Glen and I took a cruise through the Caribbean. We had a fantastic time. (Cruises are the perfect vacation for the can't-sit-still sort because the time is apportioned for you; one day you're sailing, so you either enjoy beverages by the pool or take part in on-ship activities; the next day you're in port, taking in the sights and adventures of an exotic locale.) Anyway, after our trip ended, reality set in like a cruel trick. Our life of luxury was over. We had to cook our own breakfast and make our own bed. We had to go back to work and school and use our brains. The first couple days after our trip seemed like drudgery. Glen nicknamed our condition Post-Vacation Motivation Disorder.

Now, I'm afraid PVMD has set in again. Except now that we're farming, there's really not time to drag one's feet, so it's not so much a matter of getting back to work, it's knowing where to start. Time did not stand still while we were gone. Now, the list we left behind when we took off is not only still there — it's growing. And the time available to tackle tasks has been reduced by four days. When work piles up like this, my brain tends to stop functioning properly. It's like a sort of organizational paralysis sets in when I feel overwhelmed. And I'm there. Right now my brain is spinning around in circles trying to decide which direction to take to climb the mountain.

To further complicate the situation, our children are just now starting to recover from their Parent-Child Reconnection Syndrome. What's PCRS? If you're a parent, you know – it's the alien behavior that possesses your children after they return to your presence following an extended separation. I think it's a result of the break from normal routine coupled with mom and dad's absence. I can't fault Dan and Monika for their behavior, because I know getting back into our routine has been as hard for them as it has for me, yet living with them these last couple days has tested my patience. The only cure I know of for PCRS is extra attention, lots of love and the tincture of time.

So, I'm being pulled in two directions by two very compelling forces — the need to spend some extra quality time with the kids and the need to check some tasks off my to-do list before the list drives me batty.

Writing is my time-out from life, so that's why I'm writing now, instead of tackling the two dozen other tasks on my list or spending quality time with the kids (they're actually playing nicely together for the first time in days). It's funny that the same organizational paralysis sets in with my writing when I have too many ideas to write about and not enough time to write. At least this idea will be checked off. And I'll think more clearly for the rest of the day.