Have you ever been forced to take a vacation? 

A few years ago there was a hit TV series called The Big Bang Theory that aired on CBS for 12 seasons and a total of 279 episodes. In that series there is a character named Sheldon who I’ll choose to describe as… quirky. In one of the episodes, he is forced to take a vacation by his employer which all of his coworkers celebrate and he complains about. 

I remember watching that episode and thinking to myself ‘Who in their right mind would be upset about having to take a vacation?’ 

Hello 2012 me, 2024 me has some notes for you. 

Yes, it is at the encouragement of my family that I will be taking some time off in mid August. Just a week, nothing too crazy. However, I have worked myself to the point of absolute exhaustion before (I have a nice little dent in my car as a lovely souvenir of that time in my life) and I can say that it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to take time off at all, never mind due to the request of your loved ones for your physical and mental health. 

I think I knew it was time for a break on Monday when Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index saw its worst single-day decline since 1987 and all I could think was; ‘ Yeah, alright.” The signs are there. 

That being said, I’ve promised them I will take advantage of this break and use it as such and not just secretly work from my phone. But, there’s no time like the present to head to the beach! And with summer winding down (hopefully cooling down as well), maybe I’ll be able to survive being outdoors for more than 26 minute increments at a time! 

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue featuring an upcoming residential development coming to Lillington, NC, a feature on Cumberland County’s summer internship, (Gen Z is coming for you employers, those students were a HOOT!) and the newest information on the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine coming to the campus of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center!

Happy reading!