Ugh. This is hard!
 

My company has a shut-down over the Christmas holiday. I've been off work (paid!) since December 23. It was sooooooo nice to sleep in, stay in my jammies, and sew ALL DAY LONG. Nirvana.

Had to come back to work today. I've hit the 3:00 PM "wall" when you know that you're not going to do any more work today (barring a co-worker standing in front of you waiting for you to complete a task).

I think they should have "eased" us back into the work week schedule. 1/2 days for the first ... oh ... 4-5 months should work :)

I feel your pain. I'm a teacher - just coming off two weeks vacation. We were back to it YESTERDAY - with the kids. Don't believe I've missed seeing the Rose Parade before. Today is a bit easier than yesterday so hang in there.

I keep forgetting that I need to stand on my feet at least 6 hours a day during vacation times so it won't be as difficult to come back. And .. I know, I know ... my kids do have "real jobs" that don't have the down time I do so I understand how wonderful it is. (I've been teaching 34 years and my 29 year old daughter makes more than I do. Those down times come with a price.)

A person could get used to paid time off, even in the winter! Can't say I enjoyed my day back either and made it a point to do only what HAD to get done. While "visions of quilting danced in my head". Retirement can't come quick enough!

My daughter just went back to work today after having breast cancer surgery on the 15th of Dec. Talked to her and she is doing pretty good. Said she isn't getting much work done since everyone is stopping in her office to see how she is doing.

Pat in cold MN (windchill is single digits)

Amen!! same here...poohy on work!!

Well, the butt is in the chair but the brain is not entirely engaged yet. Let's hope it won't take 4-5 months.

Jan, What do you teach? I teach KDG and yesterday (Mon) was my first day back as well. The kids were very lethargic most of the morning. Finally, after lunch I started to see some life in them! Today, I had several who were very grouchy...one little guy had crying tantrums when he didn't get to play with the toys he wanted at indoor recess. (He is generally a very well-adjusted child.) Both days have been a struggle. This is my 33rd year of teaching and I understand about kids making more than we teachers do. Our youngest will graduate from college this spring...she has accepted a job offer from the firm she interned with last summer. Her salary will be as much as I make and her benefit package is much better! But..that is what we send our kids to college for, isn't it? Our oldest child, our son, is 29 and is a farmer. And our middle daughter is in graduate school (speech pathology).

I am reading these posts about different jobs and their pay.. I always told my kids, do not ever look at a job for how much you will make. Look for a job you will entirely enjoy. Do you want to be doing a job making $50,000 a year and hate it..or do a job making $40,000 a year and love it? Your life will be so much easier if you love your job. So my nephew gave up his high paying job.. to go back to school to be a math teacher. I give him credit, as in this day and age.. no way could I or would I want to be a teacher. Right now I think they have the most thankless job around.. and the hardest. The students seem to have all the rights..and teacher done.

Ahhh the joys of retirement. Sorry didn't mean to gloat.

Reading these posts made me think of myself before retirement. I was a special ed teacher. What I love most about retirement is being in total charge of my schedule.
For several years before I retired, I thought about and planned what I would do.
Work is work. Plan something wonderful for yourself even if it's just 15 minutes of solitude. Be nice to yourself just in case no one else has time to be nice to you.
Hope each day gets easier.