What I Learned on Vacation

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We recently took a family vacation to Cancun. It was lovely and exhausting. The sunshine, heat and lack of responsibilities were a welcome treat. Watching our kids swim and play was delightful. I wrote this post while sitting under a cabana while the kids splashed around in a pool they had all to themselves. Life is so very good sometimes. 

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If you really want something, you’ll do whatever it takes to succeed. I witnessed this with my youngest. Niko’s swimming skills were virtually non-existent. He decided he was done wearing floats and began swimming on the second day of our trip. HIs confidence and ability improved each day. I need to apply this to many aspects in my life.

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Rough waves made for a quick kayaking trip on the sea.

Wifi is overrated. It’s easy to plug in and let the day pass you by. We were outside everyday on vacation and wifi was weak at the resort. When your days are filled with activities, adventure, and family time you don’t miss wifi. 

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The sunrise over the Caribbean Sea.

The sunrise is just as beautiful as the sunset. My kids natural rhythm is to wake between 5:30-6am even on vacation. Since we were sharing one hotel room, I witnessed the sunrise from our balcony every morning. It filled me with joy and reminded me that everyday is a fresh start full of possibilities. I’ve continued my early morning wake-ups since returning home.

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The circle of life. While I grieved for what we’d lost, a baby spider monkey clinging to his mama appeared on our walk home from the pool. Zoom in for a better view.

Grief doesn’t disappear on vacation. June was a difficult month for our family. The Finn was out of town for all of but 5 days, my aunt unexpectedly passed and we lost a dear family friend. While relaxing in paradise helped ease the pain, it was still there. I found a few quiet moments throughout the week to accept and process what was lost.  

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The world doesn’t end if you’re off social media. Since the wifi was weak at the resort, I rarely used my phone. Guess what? Nothing happened. I enjoyed the mini-break so much that I installed a time limit on my phone to limit social media interaction.

While we’ve returned back to reality, I’m attempting to keep a slower pace of life like we enjoyed on vacation. Life is too valuable to let it rush by.