With vacation time drawing nearer, I spent the weekend planning, packing, and doing chores outside (and working). I pushed the lawn mower around Sunday and then made the stupid decision to wash and wax my car. I say stupid because it was 85 and insanely humid here. That wash/wax nearly put me in a hospital. Funny thing about flirting with heat stroke – it muddles your brain to the point where you’re pressing forward and reason isn’t entering into it. I knew I was overheated. I’d go inside for a few minutes, down a few glasses of ice water, then right back out as if I couldn’t stop. Like I said, stupid.
After all that work and all that sweat and that near-catastrophic incident, I decided to relax my muscles in a jacuzzi bath. I did relax – until I broke the tub. There’s this intake drain thing on the tub – the cover had long broken off and is sitting in a cabinet. I had hold of a washcloth and let go of it for the 2 seconds it took to reach over my shoulder and hit the off switch. Before I could there was this noise – muffled and not good. And my washcloth? Where? Oh no. There went relaxation.
I’m hoping the pump has a backwash or some reverse-flow switch. I suspect it does, but it’s going to require my tearing the panel off the wall, crawling under the tub, and checking. Otherwise, a plumber. If any of you have one of these monstrosities, can you tell me how to get a washcloth out of a pump or out of the intake drain?
I have additional work coming in on an ongoing project and have already tapped a writer friend for the work. He knows the client and the client’s industry and I’ve let the client know/asked for the go-ahead for his help on this phase of the project. One less thing.
However, I did get a note from another regular client indicating work that I simply have to put off until I return. Everyone else has booked a place in line. It’s great being this popular, but not right before a trip.
In the past, vacations or time away meant I killed myself the week before making sure clients weren’t stranded while I was away. The difference this time – I’m making apologies instead of trying so hard to please. I know my limits these days. In any given day, I can’t go beyond 10 hours without suffering for it.
I’m human. I’m not a machine, nor am I an employee or servant. I’ll do my best, but I’ll state my boundaries and respect my clients’ boundaries, as well. My priorities are to my health and well-being and not to a project with an arbitrary deadline that must be completed at 10 pm on Friday. I’ve had only one client drop me as a result of my being out of the office. He never said that was the reason, but his fussing about my impending time off was all too clear.
How about you? Have you ever lost work because of a vacation? No great loss, is it?
The clients who get huffy because I take a well-earned vacation are those I'm not sorry to lose.
Plus, I prefer to work mostly with one-off or occasional clients (the phrase "irregular" sounds like a client who needs Activia or something).
I don't like to be tied down to a regular schedule.
Lori, I always get really stressed trying to finish up projects and get ready for a vacation. So I feel for you! I take my relaxation time in our old claw foot tub, though. Much less to go wrong there. :o)
I'm with Devon, though. Anytime I have a client that fusses about me going on vacation, or complains that I'm not available around the clock, etc. — bye bye!
Ah, that whole human thing can really be a pain-in-the-ass.