I just wanted to start out by saying that as much as I’m not a writer, it’s nice to be back. If you’re just tuning in, then you missed out on my move across Oregon followed a few days later by my family reunion vacation. It’s nice to get back into a schedule, a groove if you will on doing stuff. Seeing my family was great but it makes you think and really appreciate what you do and don’t have. It’s this thought that I’d like to share with you today.
Family vacations: Where you learn to appreciate those you love and love what you have.
My theory on family vacations comes in two folds. I believe that family vacations are meant for two things (I’m sure there are more, but this is what I took from my last one). When you go on a family vacation, you learn to appreciate those in your family and the little things about them. Hopefully you have a good family that you love, and if you do then you’ll most likely have a crazy uncle or zany cousin that you love and care about behind embarrassed looks and clenched teeth. You also hopefully have those relatives that you really care about such as grandparents, aunts who always bake you cookies or cousins who are close friends.
When you have a family vacation, you really connect with those who love you for who you are and not what you have. When I met with my family that lives in Washington, we didn’t care how much money we made, how big our TV’s were or what car we drove. As nights would come to a close, we’d just sit around the fire and talk, laugh and enjoy the present while talking about the past/future. Our presence alone was enough because we don’t see each other often enough to brag. It’s not like these subjects didn’t come up but when they did, it didn’t matter.
If you think about it. When you meet someone again that you haven’t seen in a long time, you don’t tell them about the material possessions you have now. You want to know how that person is doing. How their health is. Their sanity. Their life. Yes, we’re Americans and material objects are a part of that but it’s not the only thing we have.
But speaking of material possessions, you learn to appreciate them when on a vacation. While we were out of our home, out of our element and away from our stuff. I’ve learn to appreciate the routines that we’ve come to live by. When my daughter takes her nap, when I do comics and when I relax. And showers! While we were out we had community showers which got the job done but I always felt on edge and never got to relax.
In my original article, I tried to write something that didn’t make me sound so self-centered. I know that people in the world don’t have access to the things I do and that makes me incredibly lucky. I guess I just got to a point where I begun to see what my life is like when I don’t have control. I don’t control how long I shower, when I get to eat or what I’m doing. I can influence but not the way that I can when I get home.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really appreciate my freedom to do as I choose and not have to worry so much. When I get the chance to shut my brain down and go into auto-pilot while drawing or working on projects. Yeah, that’s more like it.
And see, if I hadn’t gone on my little family vacation, I wouldn’t have realized how much these things mattered to me. I wouldn’t have had a fresh reminder of how much my family means to me, means to my daughter and means to past. There is so much history, so much love and so much joy when the family gets together. Everyone is happy and a good time is had because our time is limited and we have to make the best of it.
I’ve also gotten a little appreciation for the life I put on hold while I was out. I see now how much my routine means to me, to be able to draw comics and do the things I love. I like being able to eat pizza on Friday when I want or not have to worry about some crazy party waking up my daughter at 2am in the morning.
Yeah, life is pretty good and I couldn’t really ask for much more. Only now, I realize that my life is pretty good as opposed to a general knowing of it.
What about you readers? Any fun family vacations in the near future? Have you had any revelations while on the road? If so, leave a note in the comments!
The other night, Diane and I had our friends Nick and Julie over for some dinner and late night video games. Since Nick works late on Fridays, it was just Julie for the actual dinner part. Of course my daughter was there as well and as we all crowded around our small dinner table, the little one started to act up. We weren’t sure if she was trying to be cool in front of Julie or just in a mood, but she just didn’t want to take her bottle after she ate her solid food. Normally she’ll suck on it for a few minutes and then put it down rather nice like but this evening she was throwing it over the side of her high chair. The first time she did this we picked it back up and then handed it back to her. By the third time we’d had had enough and calmly told her that she doesn’t get it anymore until she’s ready to be nice. When our friend Julie saw this and how we responded to my daughters little tantrum, she applauded us and said it was nice to see some parents actually standing up to their kids.
