Planning - Expectations
Once your trip is planned and you're excitedly packing your bags you may be feeling pretty good about yourself. You should be! But… keep your expectations realistic. Life is not all honey and roses, and just because you're in Paris or Amsterdam or lounging on the Italian coast doesn't mean that real life won't still creep in. Will your children have a meltdown at some point? Maybe, but they probably would've had one at home too. Will you and your spouse bicker about stupid stuff? Perhaps, but then that occasionally happens at home too - the upside is that this time it's about the best metro stop instead of who left the milk out overnight. Will you make some fantastic and amazing memories that you'll talk about for the rest of your life? Definitely.
Sometimes it's the meltdowns that you chuckle about later when you get home, or the silly arguments that seem inconsequential when you finally get to your intended destination having figured things out together. The best memories are those perfect moments in between all of the other stuff when you're sitting on a bench staring at a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean, watching the kids walk on funny stilts in wooden shoes, or the simple joy of licking ice cream cones at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Those moments are priceless, and perfect. Don't let the little annoyances stop you from enjoying the bigger picture.
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