Last week our very generous friends invited us to join them on their Luxury Resorts vacation to a breathtaking home at Lake Tahoe. We basically had an entire floor all to ourselves, a plush king bedroom with ensuite granite bath, and floor to ceiling windows with a view out past the Jacuzzi and fire pit to the pine-covered mountains. Two more bedrooms, two more bathrooms, and an amazing media room sat empty at our disposal while the rest of the family lived on the two elegant floors above us.
The house included every amenity you can imagine, flat panel TVs in practically every room, daily housekeeping service, and even a personal concierge.
Did it cause me to contemplate luxurious vacations past with longing? Yes! Did I for a moment think, "Gosh, if I were still working, we could have these kinds of vacations regularly?" Also yes.
Until I remembered. If I were still working, "regularly" would mean a sum total of three weeks each year! I would have to work the other 49 to get just three of these.
As I contemplate my life before retirement, I realize that the increasing luxury of each vacation directly corresponded to my increasing dissatisfaction with my job. I was bored. I was tired of doing the same job for nearly two decades. I was tired of feeling like my job was not really important in the world.
I worked hard, so I deserved such rewards, right? Spending three fabulous weeks, and the corresponding dollars, at a gorgeous hotel in a wonderful location made me feel important, valued, and happy . . . well for those three weeks at least.
The truth is, I can get luxury at home. What I can't get at home is being somewhere else. And to be enjoying an experience somewhere else, I can't be at work either. While I would love to enjoy more luxury vacations, the cost, and I'm not talking about money, is just too high.
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You forget to mention the authentic Ms. Pacman game in the Media Room!
Posted by: Retiredhubby | August 07, 2009 at 09:06 AM
really, where can I meet friends like yours?!?
Posted by: Nicole | August 07, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I know, we're pretty lucky, huh?
Posted by: Retired Syd | August 07, 2009 at 10:34 AM
nice post
Posted by: Personal Concierge | August 10, 2009 at 10:29 PM
nice post ! the luxury vacations seems great with concierge services , a personal concierge gives room services fulfilling urgent needs .
Posted by: Personal Concierge | August 10, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Now those are real friends. Lucky you, what a relaxing and refreshing stay that must've been!
Posted by: Luxury Vacation | August 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Hello! Google gerade im Web und bin auf dieser Homepage gelandet.
Respekt, haben Sie toll gemacht.
Ich wünsche Ihnen weiterhin viel Erfolg mit Ihre Seite und natürlich viele Besucher.
Hier habe ich mich sehr wohl gefühlt und werde wieder hierher zurückkommen.
Freue mich auf einen Gegenbesuch auf meiner Homepage
Posted by: Volker | March 21, 2010 at 01:00 PM
Thank you for this post. I am still working but I can still relate with what you wrote. I enjoy being home. Things, vacations and etc. are nice but for me peace of mind is the most important.
Posted by: Ann Hearn | December 08, 2011 at 04:08 PM