EDITORIAL

Enjoy Your Holiday!

Romanians live under pressure, aggressed by the poor conditions of their day to day existence, stressed by the insecure perspectives of tomorrow, irritated by the excesses and the demagogy of the politicians, by the defiance and the effects of the discriminations and social inequalities, but they still have… the strength to dream to the most desired leave of absence!

The sultry temperatures of a season that tends to enthrone in our lives in a brutal alternative with a quasi-polar winter, both with unsettling effects on the daily life of the population, sends its overwhelming blast on us, al1! And then, we are thinking: "Oh, I can hardly wait for the holiday!" The truth is that we feel like having some quiet days after a year of work, willing to have no noises and no…bosses. Even if you work with pleasure, you still need to relax, to have a holiday, far from the "reckless world". Especially you, the railway man, who are carrying the responsibility of so many lives!
I think that each of you dreams to a holiday spent somewhere in the mountains, at the seaside or even at home, together with your loved ones. Even a short going out from the town we are living in means a lot. The one that has climbed the mountains knows how pleasant is to be up there, to breathe the fresh air, to sleep in a tent, in the middle of the nature! Anything is more than welcomed in order to get rid of the daily routine. The simple fact that you are no longer constraint to achieve a "deadline" is already quite soothing. You can sleep at will without the terror of the clock ringing for a compulsory waking up, you can spend your day without hearing the "voice of the train wheels", you can read the books that you have bought during the last year, which have been waited somewhere on a shelve, you can take walks at will and to remember what relaxation means, the healthy laugh, carelessness…
A holiday is always welcomed, because nobody is able to work endlessly, especially at the Railways, where there are special conditions of work. After a few months, everyone feels tired, and the efficiency is decreased. Because everyone has his limits: there are some that are more resistant, others become quite fast a total wreck and, this is how, any problem can transform in an ordeal. The stress sometimes becomes so big that we risk quarreling with all our colleagues due to some problems that some other time we would treat with much more calm. Moreover, in the case of a long lasting demand and of the presence of the stress factors, the entire system is affected: the depressions, anxieties, headaches or backaches start or … and you can only anxiously think about the well-deserved holiday.
So, after 10-12 months of work, this holiday is so welcomed. Even if we have it on summer, or on winter, it should mean first of all rest. At the end of these freedom days we are going to be calmer, more relaxed and we will work better.
Or, that is why it is quite sad, even alarming the fact that many of us have reached the conclusion that they can no longer afford a holiday. It is true, we are experiencing a delicate period of time, all of us, but our health is more important than an amount of money that you have gained by staying at home in order to save something or to try to work somewhere else.
I believe each of you should fully take advantage of the holiday time, together with the loved ones. We all need rest! So, now, when the holiday "campaign" has been started off, and the bags and the rucksacks draw us to grab them from the shelves, I wish you a pleasant trip!

Oana Branzan