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How to Avoid the Need for a Vacation from Your Vacation

With the holidays approaching, it’s time to start dreading — I mean packing for — the travel that comes with visiting loved ones or making it to those New Year’s Eve celebrations. If you are anything like me, then you probably have a past of overdoing it during the holidays and returning to work or school in desperate need of a vacation to recover from your vacation. For example, two years ago, I returned home with bronchitis thanks to exhaustion and spending a night sleeping in a drafty airport basement. This past summer, I crammed my vacation so full of tourist activities that I needed to book off another week to rest up. At that time, I was working as a supply teacher so my job was flexible enough to allow me to take an extra break; yet not everyone has that luxury. If you want to return to work or school without feeling drained or emotional, here are some tips for better planning your trip so that you can feel more rested and energized upon your return.

Finish Off that To-Do List Before You Leave

Are dishes still sitting in the kitchen sink? Stinky litter boxes and garbage still hanging around? Take care of it before you head out the door to catch your flight! The week leading up to your vacation put together a to-do list including everything that is pressing and needs to be completed. This can include household chores, work deadlines, refilling prescriptions, paying bills ahead of time, and implementing basic security measures around your home. That way you are not having to worry about dealing with an unclean home or running errands upon your return.

Put Together a Plan for Pet or Child Care Ahead of Time

I may not have human babies but I have furry ones that I always have to account for before I leave for my vacation. If you are not taking your pets or kids with you on your vacation, be sure to arrange for a sitter or pet hotel in advance. The last thing that you want to worry about on your trip is the health and safety of your pet or child because you got stuck with using a care program or babysitter that you don’t fully trust. Start to plan about a month in advance, by beginning to make a list of people or organizations that you trust. Next, inquire about availability, and arrange for their stay while you are away. Lastly, leave a detailed schedule or list of duties that they will need to complete while caring for your loved one. If you are lending out your key, make sure that you have a spare one to take with you on vacation. Also, be sure to arrange a time to deliver the key to them, as well as a time to get it back.

Practice Self-Care Before, During, and After Your Trip

Although you want to be taking care of business before your trip, you also need to be taking care of yourself. Work some time into your days for adequate sleep, nutritional meals and snacks, meditation (if you practice it), and physical activity. Ideally, all these should be a part of your normal routine, and you want to try to keep these rituals during your trip as well. If you are staying at a hotel, make use of the fitness facilities, if at all possible. Try not to overindulge in rich or unhealthy foods and alcohol during the holiday season, no matter how tempted you are. Bring a reusable water bottle to encourage hydration. If you are taking a late-night flight, be sure to pack a light blanket, noise-canceling headphones, sleeping mask, and travel pillow into your carry-on bag to help you get some shut-eye during the flight. If you continue your normal routines during your trip and upon your return, it will be a lot easier to return to life as normal once your vacation is over.

Do Not Over-Plan Your Trip

As I mentioned earlier, I fell victim to this over the summer when I crammed an entire west coast trip into two weeks. Almost every single one of my days was filled with exploring a city or visiting a bunch of tourist destinations. I even topped the trip off with two loud metal concerts! Sure I still had the adventure of a lifetime and walked away with some stunning videos and photographs, but I also came home exhausted. The number one thing that I would recommend is to focus on who and what you want to see on your vacation. You are not obligated to visit every single family member and friend that you have ever known. No one will fault you for not visiting every single tourist destination or not hitting up every single party. Choose a couple of activities that you couldn’t imagine your trip without and then plan the rest of the trip day by day. While on vacation, listen to your body — what does it need? If you have the energy to hit up a family gathering or go hiking, then do it! But if you need some time to relax by the fireplace with a book, that’s fine too. Learn to say no to outside pressure, and do what you need to do to stay healthy on your vacation.

Take Advantage of Long Stop-Overs (If You Have Them)

Whether you are driving a long distance, taking a ridiculously long train or bus ride, or flying across time zones, schedule in some “me time” when you are coming back. Even if you think you can do a whole day of driving, think about breaking the trip up so that you are stopping somewhere to sleep about midway through. This will give your eyes, mind, and the rest of your body a nice break before hitting the road. You never want to find yourself in the middle of a car accident because you started to get tired midway through your drive! If you have a long stopover on another mode of transportation, consider checking into a hotel. When flying across time zones, this is a must, as it will help reduce the stress that jet lag puts on your body. Taking a break from any vehicle also gives you a chance to rest your muscles, which are fighting to keep your posture the same as when your feet are planted on solid ground.

Plan to Have Some Rest After Your Visit

In the past, I have given into the temptation of staying with my family that I was visiting up until I had to be back. I regretted it every time. If you can build in some relaxation days at home before you go back to work or school, take this chance. Sure we all hate saying goodbye to friends and family at the end of a visit, but those days at home are vital for physically, mentally, and emotionally preparing for your return to normal life. Not to mention, you will have time to pick up groceries and meal prep for the week, start to schedule any necessary meetings, check over important emails, and get a head start on any work that you may have to complete. This, of course, can be completed at your own pace, which is always a bonus.

Plan the Next Fun Thing to Do

Post-vacation depression is a real thing, folks. When I came back from the Supernatural Convention held in Toronto this past fall, I fell into a deep depression. That’s because I had been planning and anticipating the event for a solid year! As I had blown most of my budget at the convention, I wasn’t able to work in any fun activities for another month. This was a mistake, to say the least. When you come back from your vacation, take some time afterward to brainstorm and plan some fun activities to look forward to in the future. This will make returning to the norm a little less bleak. Perhaps think about taking up a new hobby, joining a club, taking a day trip outside of the city, or even planning your next vacation. Consider downloading a countdown app, such as Time Until, for your phone or computer so that you can see the number of days until your next vacation or planned activity. This will help to create a visual reminder of what you are working towards.

A little planning can go a long way when it comes to fighting travel fatigue. Use some or all these tips to get back to work or school after the holidays without the need for a second vacation!

[whoispeytonjames]

Why God is the Ultimate Villain of the Supernatural Series

Warning: The following article contains quotes and spoilers from the television series Supernatural. If you have not watched up until season 15, please stop reading now.

While sitting around the dinner table with my partner, his father, and his stepmother, it occurred to me that after 15 years, I am in the minority of television viewers who are still as in love with Supernatural as the day that it first aired. During a discussion of iconic television series, of course, I had to bring up Supernatural. What could be more iconic than a genre show that has lasted long enough to make God a villain? Considering that my comments led to laughter and a discussion on when shows have “jumped the shark,” I can conclude that my main point was missed. Looking back on everything that has happened in the past 15 seasons, it makes sense that God is the true villain in a show about the threat that supernatural entities pose to humanity. Canonically, God created Archangels, Leviathans, Hellhounds, Angels, Humans, Souls, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. Considering all these entities have created a major threat within the show; it seemed fitting that God was revealed as being the shocking twist ending at the end of Season 14. By revealing himself as being a cold and manipulative author, as opposed to a caring and benevolent God, Chuck became the “big bad” of the entire series.

When Supernatural first aired, the premise of the show centered around the two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, traveling around the United States to investigate and fight paranormal entities and urban legends. With the inclusion of Christian mythology in season 4, the overarching plot line of the series shifted so that the brothers were now saving the world from the apocalypse. Viewers of the show saw the aversion of the apocalypse at the end of season 5 and creator, Eric Kripke's departure, as being where Supernatural should have sung its swan song and disappeared into the archives of American genre television. Yet, the fan base had some other ideas, and kept the boys around for another decade despite some unfavourable moments (The British Men of Letters, anyone?). We have seen the Winchester brothers fight everything from demons and angels to the Leviathans and The Darkness, so what could be next? Well, God, of course.

From a logistical standpoint, Supernatural is entering into its final season, which means that it's imperative for the writers to escalate the level of threat that the Winchester brothers face. Since the face off with the Devil in season 5, the writers have struggled with the task of creating a villain or situation more dire than the apocalypse. With being forced to up the ante each season, it's no surprise that Supernatural has chosen to end after 15 seasons. How can you end a long-running television show that satisfies the most loyal fan base? By ensuring that the final season presents the greatest challenge that the Winchesters have faced to date. The odds need to be firmly stacked against the heroes and the show needs to present a spectacle for the series finale that is novel for the viewers. By making God the villain, whom is an omniscient and nigh-omnipotent character, the writers are sure to deliver on all the earlier listed criteria. This poses Sam and Dean with the impossible task of trying to stop a foe that can expect their intentions; not to mention that killing God will overthrow the Cosmic Balance. Although God's sister, Amara or The Darkness, has the power to wound him, and Death has claimed to be the one to reap God at the end of everything, doing so would destroy all the universes that he has created and the creations within them. If the brothers are all about "saving people [and] hunting things" how can they possibly hunt down God without destroying all creation? That's a question that I will leave for the writers to answer.

Beyond presenting viewers with a powerful antagonist for the final season, the writers of Supernatural are also alluding to an underlying thread that could make God the ultimate villain of the entire series. The apocalypse, Raphael's civil war, Leviathans, Naomi's control of Heaven, the fallen angels, the Mark of Cain, The Darkness, the corruption of all the other universes, as well as Jack's birth and death can all be traced back to God. As I mentioned before, God is the creator of the perilous threats that have plagued the Winchesters over the past 14 years; but as his existence is that of an absent father, he has also allowed his two chosen ones, Sam and Dean, to clean up his mess. Since his abrupt leave from Heaven after his creations, namely Lucifer, didn’t meet his expectations, God lived among humans as Chuck, your average everyday Joe, who enjoys nacho cheese, playing his guitar, and living his life as an out and proud bisexual. When Metatron challenges his decision to leave as being a cowardice act, in "Don't Call Me Shurley," God responds by saying that he was "done watching [his] experiments' failures." Beyond his disappointment, Chuck wanted to stay hidden and allow humanity, the archangels, and the rest of his creations to take responsibility for their actions, claiming that, "No one likes a helicopter parent." This sentiment is later echoed during season 14's "Moriah," when he reminds both Sam and Dean that he may have created the "sandbox," but he has remained "hands off." 

Although God has presented himself as an occasional ally to the Winchesters throughout the years, he has never dealt with any of the obstacles that have arisen as a consequence of his absence. Instead, he ensured that the Winchesters would be present to settle each of these dilemmas in his place. Thus, the Winchesters were instrumental in Chuck's grand manuscript, as they played the all important heroes in his "favourite show." Instances of Chuck's meddling can be traced back to his coupling of John and Mary Winchester. When Sam, Dean, and Castiel meet up with Cupid in "My Bloody Valentine," he reveals that Heaven doesn't care about human matches, unless they lend to certain bloodlines and destinies. Cupid goes on to clarify that, "the union of John and Mary Winchester [was a] very big deal upstairs, [a] top priority arrangement." This was to ensure the existence of Sam and Dean Winchester. Without them, the apocalypse would have occurred as the archangels had planned and the world would have been destroyed, as shown in Apocalypse World. This is precisely why Chuck declares this world's Sam and Dean as being his favourite in all the multiverse: they are his self-sacrificing heroes. In Apocalypse World, for example, there's destruction and constant chaos with no sense of ease. When the antagonist is always winning, it's uncomfortable and boring to a Western audience that constantly consumes the narrative of the hero's quest. This literary trope has battling forces of good and evil, with the hero prevailing in the end; and for 14 seasons, Chuck has been weaving together narratives that pit the heroes against villains of his own creation. With the curtain pulled back to reveal the Wizard of Oz and all his tricks, it's time to face the antagonist left standing: God.

Upon the realization of Chuck's puppetry, Team Free Will has been effectively left shattered. After all, Sam and Dean have been "just hamsters running in a wheel [their] whole lives," or heroes acting out God's plan. Even though both brothers had the strength to escape their destiny as Michael and Lucifer's vessels, they have still been playing into the roles that Chuck had written for them, fulfilling a destiny versus being having the freedom of choice. Mary's death aside, this knowledge has already created a rift between Dean and Castiel; as Dean views their whole lives as being a lie, and Castiel views life as having predetermined obstacles, with a choice of how you overcome them. Not only has the concept of freewill been destroyed for the Winchesters, but the notion of Chuck's interference has also torn apart the Winchesters' familial bond with Castiel. If freedom and family, by both blood and bond, is truly what gives the Winchester brothers the strength to continue to fight evil, then God has already proven his status as the ultimate villain of Supernatural.

Let the end times roll.