[Intro]
Woke up to the sound of emails pingin’
Still half-dreamin’ of the sea breeze singin’

[Verse 1]
Sunset shades still in my bag
Coffee’s cold and my spirit lags
Photos on my desk like open wounds
Beach still in my soul, but I'm back too soon

[Pre-Chorus]
Sand’s gone but the calm still lingers
Til the spreadsheets tap me with icy fingers

[Chorus]
Back to the grind again
Counting days 'til I can breathe again
Felt alive for a week or two
Now I'm just surviving through
Wearing smiles like camouflage
While my mind drifts off to some mirage
Vacation’s glow begins to fade
But I hold on to the peace it made

[Verse 2]
Slack’s a warzone, calls nonstop
Work implies that we should never stop
But my heart’s still slow, still soft, still wide
It’s hard to match the pace inside

[Pre-Chorus]
Reply-all chains and corporate stress
Make me long for ocean breath

[Chorus]
Back to the grind again
Chasing time until it bends
One eye on the inbox, one on the sky
Wondering where the weeks go by
Laughing at the irony
How fast we lose what set us free
Recharged just to run low
It’s a loop and we all know

[Bridge]
So I mark the calendar
Like it’s treasure buried far
Each month a mountain to climb
Until the next departure time

[Chorus]
Back to the grind again
But I’m storing up that zen
Every sip of calm I’ve known
Keeps me steady through the drone
Someday soon I’ll board that plane
Chasing stillness once again
Till then I just pretend
And wait for the weekend!

[Outro]
One breath at a time...
One beach in my mind...
Back to the grind... again...
(Do I have to?)