Kaleidoscope of Calamities and Cherished Moments

I had forgotten the difference between travelling and vacationing, as it had been 26 years since I ‘went travelling.’ This past July, I was reminded of the joys and struggles of travelling, took away some personal aha moments, and some suggestions for future travellers.

I’ll start by saying that I am forever grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me to have the luxury of travelling, and while I know that I have worked hard over 3 decades to organize such a trip, I’m mindful that it is because I have the support of family, friends and my colleagues to do so.

Our European vacation was truly remarkable. We (me, my husband and two grown kids) visited France, Switzerland, Italy and the UK (London & Scotland). The history, arts, statutes, engineering, and cultures are all fascinating in their own rights. We marvelled at the statue of David, the ruins of Rome, the Tuscany landscape, the Mediterranean Sea, the grandeur of the Alps, the urban London life, the castles of Scotland, and the historical landmarks of Paris – and we most definitely enjoyed the foods and beverages. We also experienced the fatigue of travelling, lack of sleep, sweltering heat, vermin and bugs – and we went from seeing one another from between 30 mins and 3 hours to 24-7 in tight quarters.

Travelling reveals so much about who you are as a person – and I’m sure there are many, many stories of that, but how you tell your story can equally reveal something more about yourself.

So, what do people tend to focus on when the recount their stories? Are you the type of person that is factual, recounting each day, including the highlights? Do you dive into the cherished moments, or do you focus on the challenging moments? What lens do you place on your experience? Do you change your stories or the focus depending on who you’re talking with?

Over the past few days, as I’ve shared my vacation, I did find that, it depended on who I was talking to in the moment, the questions they asked, the mood I was in, on how I curated my story. Sometimes I focused on the calamities – running through the airport, health scares, arguments, horrible accommodations, rats and bats, and the saturation of it all. Sometimes I focused on the cherished moments – time off work, ability to see extended family and spend time with friends, experience new cultures and food and see historical artifacts (castles, museums, statues, art).

Upon reflection, while our stories are a kaleidoscope of experiences, we do have the power to focus on what we want to take away and what we wish to share. Here are a few takeaways from me:

1. Reflect and grow – Honour you experience – all of it. Every single moment means we are living and learning. Take any moments that didn’t go the way you had hoped and consider what could have gone differently and then carry that knowledge forward with you.

2. Lighten Up – While the calamities are hard in the moment, now that you have had some distance from it, perhaps you can find a little bit of humour. It’s not to diminish them but it will help you not carry any negative energy with you.

3. Embrace the cherished moments - At the end of the day, those are the ones worth remembering. Gratitude can be difficult to practice in moments of irritation and frustration, but the beauty of reflection is that we can, in fact, rewrite our stories to focus on the magical moments and tap into our gratitude well. Use it – it’s more powerful than you know.

   
   

All that to say, I am ever grateful for the opportunity to experience life alongside my husband, my daughter and my son, through the ups, downs and sideways, the calamities and cherished moments are all etched into the fabric of my story – and I wouldn’t want it any other way.