☀️ Happy Summer! ☀️ Family vacation season is officially here!
I just had the good fortune of spending 10 days in Osoyoos BC with most of my immediate family. It was spectacular! The weather was a little unseasonably cool and wet… but that allowed us to sit still a little more, snuggle in and read a good book, play games and create yummy food together. We all emerged refreshed and rested!
Every year I like to reflect on how very much a vacation with family teaches me. This year, I would like to share my musings with you!
Thought #1: Waking up with my kids is the very best feeling a mama can have! Once our kids grow up, move out, find their partners and start their own families… we only get to experience snippets of their lives… a family dinner, a phone call, a quick walk or a weekend visit.
When we get to spend a whole week or two together, it allows us to settle into the rhythms of everyday life… waking up together, breakfast, lunch and supper, exercise routines, daily habits, conversations that mature over days… it allows us to get to know each other all over again. It also gives this mama such a feeling of excitement as I open my eyes each morning, knowing that my kids are all in the same place… everything feels right to me!
Through #2: Fifteen years ago, I read Eckhart Tolle’s book “The Power of Now.” At the time, I found it to be quite complicated and had to re-read many passages over and over again… but there was one line that stuck to me like glue; “If you think you are doing a good job of living in the present moment… go spend a week with your family and see how it goes!”
Families come with a lot of old shit! We have all seen the best and worst of each other over the years and as the above passage suggests… it is hard not to judge who people used to be and have old expectations of them!
I remind myself of Eckhart Tolle’s words each year as family vacation begins… I remind myself that I am meeting these people for the very first time. They have lived experiences over the past year that have shaped them into brand new beings. If I just expect them to be exactly who they used to be… I will miss the magic! ✨
I am happy to report that I did the best job at being in the present moment with my family this year that I have ever done! What do I attribute this to? Four months of daily Kriya Meditation has got me tuned in! (Click HERE to read more)
Thought #3: Hang out with the little ones! My 2 year old grandson was in Osoyoos with us and he had a blast! He was the center of the family party!
The wee ones are not yet jaded, every experience is a new one! I found it so exciting to observe the holiday through his eyes. It helped me to not take anything for granted and observe my surroundings and interactions with a renewed vigour. I played more, giggled more, and slept like a baby! (Because I was friggin’ exhausted from trying to keep up with a 2 year old)
It was also so nice to watch my little grandson settle into the feeling of family. A whole group of people who love each other and who love him. By the end of the 10 days he had grown comfortable with everyone and had formed unique bonds with each person that will stay with him for his entire life. The epitome of a village raising a child! ❤️
Thought #4: Time to ease back into real life! We gave ourselves some extra time this year. On the way home from Osoyoos we stopped for a sleepover in Kelowna with a dear friend from high school. It was delightful to have some adult fun time (we danced on the patio until late into the night) and nice to cut the trip home into shorter chunks.
Once home we had a couple of days grace before jumping back into work… I so appreciated this year’s slow approach to getting back into normal life. It gave me some time to reflect!
As humans we are amazing at adapting to things… good and bad! So when I am living my everyday life, annoying or stressful things have a way of sneaking into my experience unnoticed. Taking a few extra days of transition allowed me to identify those pesky things and determine that I do not want to take them forward into my new post holiday life!
The extra transition time also allowed me to reflect on all of the fun that was had and allow that energy to settle into my system and prime me for a great summer!
Thought #5: Unplug! The wifi at the lake sucks and I spent the first couple of days being annoyed that my devices were not working well. By day three… I decided it was a gift and put my phone and ipad away! Again… one of those things that you are not even aware of how much stress it causes you until you stop!
I loved it so much that I am determined to go tech free for a 24 hour period once a week from here on in!
Thought #6: Pre-plan the food! This year I made up a food menu, bought all of the supplies and did some food prep at home before leaving. It put a lot of the work upfront… but made such a positive difference in the vacation experience.
We ate more healthily, because we were not filling ourselves with junk while we tried to figure out what to make. We did not spend a bunch of time running to the expensive small town grocery store. We all pitched in to make food and do the cleaning… many hands make light work and it felt sooo easy this year!
The thing that I loved the very most about having the food menu all planned out was being able to spoil our kids with some of our favourite new recipes and stir mama love into all of them!
I am going to wrap it up here with the hope that some of these musings may give you something to think about while on family vacation this summer! Enjoy the warm weather and the kooky family that you are blessed with! ❤️
Much love
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