Vacation? No Problem!

For most people, the annual two-week respite from work is a chance to get away for a time of relaxation and enjoyment. The day-to-day cares and concerns of the job are put on hold, at least for a little while. Some folks meticulously plan each moment of their vacation, while others simply go on the fly.

For me, as with most lawyers who operate their own firms, vacations are rare and require a considerable amount of planning. Usually, whenever I decide to take a couple of weeks for holiday, I have to block out the time several months in advance. Then, I have to file a notice with the Courts in every lawsuit in which I am involved setting forth the dates upon which I am unavailable and requesting that no hearings or trials are set on any of those dates. Even then, some kind of scheduling problem arises that requires me to make arrangements either to have the scheduled matter attended to by another attorney or to have the matter re-scheduled.

Fortunately, most attorneys are accommodating in scheduling around an opponent's vacation plans. But the time, effort and expense involved in blocking out even a couple of weeks sometimes is immense. And it is for that reason that many lawyers like myself simply don't take a lot of vacation time.

I am less than two weeks away from boarding a plane for Maui. Some months ago, our youngest daughter, with her husband and children, planned a trip to Maui for their annual "R and R". My son-in-law works with the U.S. State Department in Korea, and we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to meet up with them and have a nice vacation with our two youngest granddaughters.

I am looking forward to the trip.

Being self-employed in a professional practice has its benefits. But its biggest drawback is the fact that if I don't work, I don't earn any money. And even if I am not working, staff salaries, rent and other overhead expenses still must be paid. So when I plan a vacation, I have to take into account not only the cost of the trip, but also the loss of income that results from my not being in the office.

I try not to think too much about it, because doing so would only rob me of whatever pleasure I otherwise would derive from the time off in an exotic place.

It's a little easier this time. The thought of having the chance to spend time with Mandy, Gayer, Lily and Maddy makes the time away from work well worth it.

Even so, if it goes the way all of my previous vacations have gone, I will continue to spend considerable time pondering, thinking and worrying about my clients and their legal affairs, and I will stay in touch with my office staff via phone and email.

Aloha!