I just got back from my summer holiday.

Apologies to any readers in the northern hemisphere (yes I know you’re out there) who might be putting up with sub-zero temperatures at the moment, but after the year I’ve had, I reckon I’ve earned it. And besides, if any one is jealous about the weather, just a reminder that multiple days in the high 30s and low 40s celsius (that’s tracking well over 100 for you fahrenheit people) aren’t much fun either.

Anyway, back to the main subject of this post. While I was away (staying with the family in a small resort/fishing town about 300 km up the coast from Melbourne) I learnt something interesting. It’s something I’ve learnt before – I think I learn it every time I go on holiday, but I seem to forget it just as quickly and have to relearn it again from scratch.

Anyway, to sum it up, here is what I learnt. There are two different me’s. One is real life me and the other is holiday me. But that’s not all. The most important bit is this: I like holiday me much more than I like real life me.

Holiday me is relaxed. He deals with things as they come up and doesn’t get stressed or upset. Real life me, on the other hand, is the total opposite. He’s always tightly wound, getting caught up by the smallest things. He gets upset and shouts at people all the time. Clearly a far less pleasant person to be around (and to be) than holiday me.

So here I am, back from holiday and wondering what to do. I like holiday me. I want him to hang around as long as possible. I don’t want to find myself reverting back to real life me.

The strain of trying to figure out how to stop holiday me from disappearing is starting to really stress me out. I’m getting grumpy just thinking about the prospect of returning to real life me. I feel like stamping my feet and banging my head on a desk, or finding someone to shout at really loudly.

Oh dear. I think it’s too late. I think that holiday me has already departed and real life me is back to stay. Oh well, it was nice when it lasted. I guess the only thing left to do is get used to being grumpy again.

And planning for my next holiday as soon as possible.