I’ve still got sand in my shoes

Life for rent / Dido











Texas Waitress Syndrome, that’s what my friend Bon calls it. It’s apt. It refers to that point in time when one is sick and tired of all things. They’ve worked too much, feel like they’ve gotten nowhere. All things have gone wrong in one way or another. Their brain hurts and they can’t really string three coherent thoughts together. One is weary, such that sleep is not the answer. They need a break.


It is the point in time when one thinks: I just want to run away. And the thought of getting into the car and driving, West (because we’ve always lived in the East) sounds actually nice. Some times the fantasy involves getting on a train, but then you have to deal with people, so a car is better. People do this, we tell ourselves. Women who up and leave and can always get a job as a waitress somewhere…


Yeeeah.

Bon and I know this is an illusion. For one thing, neither of us can waitress. But that aside, we don’t like Texas and we’ve seen Thelma and Louise. It didn’t end well.

Perhaps this is why the term “syndrome” is tacked on to the end, like a disease. But still, we know immediately, say: “I’ve got Texas Waitress Syndrome.” It’s very clear where one is at.


Having just finished my fourth six day work week, I’m feeling this way. I’ve wondered about other places… What about Mexico? Some place with a beach. I used to think the Gulf Coast, but that’s a bit problematic at the moment. Still, it would solve the Texas problem. The waitress issue is a bit more difficult, as there are not a lot of jobs one can just get… and all of them that come to mind worse than waiting tables.


I don’t want to run away from home and never come back, I just want to go for a little while. It occurs to me that some people might call this “a vacation.” This is still a relatively new concept for me. So, today, I shall schedule time off.