Shifting Perspectives

We have become unaccustomed to direct experiences. We have lost confidence to perceive for ourselves. We don't want to read a book or see a new movie premiere until someone (an "expert") sees it first and tells us what to think. Terrified of our our own original, authentically personal perspective...we wait. And wait. Until someone gives us the go ahead to experience it for ourselves. And then, courageously, we venture out armed with the deadly opine of someone else and make direct contact with it.

Life, we have come to fear it and go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it. We succumb to fears of ridicule, failure, disease, snakes or whatever our self-imposed terror of the day may be only to whine that "our" lives are unfulfilled. Talk about a road to nowhere....

And what's really pathetic, we envy those we perceive to have one!

(Where's my soapbox? Oh, it's under my feet.)

Don't you think you should probably experience your own life without the Cliff's Notes of someone else? There is an excellent possibility this is the only life your gonna get. On this Earth, anyway. You already know I'm the bettin' kind and pretty good at picking winners. So, go ahead and get on a plane. Find yourself, pick up your pieces and come back more whole. I'm bettin' its a winning proposition. Send me a comment; let me know what you think; or just ask me for directions at TheTravelValet@gmail.com.

Pick of the Day(24-6-0)...Rockies, Rangers

The Perils of Parenting

My wife sent me a text this morning that is haunting...and all too common. Her friend, let's call her, Mary, has an 18 yr old daughter (that, by itself, is terrifying to a father) who has run-off presumably with a new "boy" friend no one else in the family has ever met. I didn't say runaway because the girl is 18 and since the law deems her an adult then I guess we have little choice, but to accept it. The girl left sometime last Saturday and vanished. No one has heard from her. Mary is understandably fraught with terror. My heart aches for this woman and her family. I have met Mary on two occasions, but never Mary's daughter. They are a spiritual family that places a lot of emphasis on family. I pray all ends well. My stomach churns...

See, I have a teenage daughter and this is one of my greatest fears. I don't think there is any one right answer or bit of advice to offer. One can only hope your children are given the proper tools to make the best possible decisions everyday. Allowing your child to make decisions early in life seems to be a key factor even if they are poor decisions. Let them screw up and live with the consequences on small things like staying up too late on a school night. Allow them an opportunity to suffer through one or two days exhaustion without cutting them slack on sleeping late, or doing chores or completing homework. As your child starts to drag remind them of their choice to stay up. It's a teaching moment. They will feel the need for sleep just like adults. Just remember, no child is angelic and no parent is without fault.

Try escaping the norm with your family? Go on a trip, explore new things, travel to exotic or hidden places. Create familial memories that bond. Step away from the things in which you disagree and find something that enriches your lives and share. Listen, everyone needs a vacation, even your eight year old. Drop me a message at thetravelvalet@gmail.com. Happy traveling and parenting.