Changing road conditions

In trying to think of a phrase that expresses what it's like to move from vacation mode to home/work mode, I found myself feeling very cliched - things like switching gears or coming down to earth just didn't seem to cut it. Because coming back from this vacation didn't feel like a sudden change.

I think that's because we drove for two days to get back, and then my first day back was spent visiting the new schools I'll be teaching at, picking up books, signing contracts, and such. The travelling gave us the opportunity to start thinking ahead to the upcoming week while still officially on vacation, while the first day of running around wasn't my typical work day.

It wasn't like an abrupt gear switch. In keeping with a transportation metaphor, it would be a bit more like as if you were driving on a four lane highway that then became a two lane highway that then became a gravel road and then a dirt lane. Or maybe more accurately the reverse - moving from a dirt lane to a four lane highway, with each transition giving you a chance to adjust.

I don't know really. I just know I would've been happy with another week away from the daily routine! But we had a good time - we relaxed, we undertook some activities we don't normally do (and had the sore muscles to prove it!), and I got to see a friend who I haven't seen in years, so, yeah, overall, it was a good time.