And you can't be everywhere at once.
For example. When we leave here in September, we will head for Ottawa. There, we will spend approximately two weeks visiting friends and family. By that time, it will have been almost exactly one year since we've seen any of them. Then, we head to Nova Scotia to visit our daughter and her growing family. Again, one year since we have seen them. Our grandson is another year older, and we will have another grandchild by then too.
Our daughter (due in September!) with grandson Cameron and son in law Justin.
Both my (Kevin's) grandfathers were gone before I was 5 years old, so I feel like I missed out on a part of life. I don't want to deny my grandchildren that time. And I know Ruth is missing watching them grow up too!
Then, we head to New York City for a couple of days before going to Africa for 4 months. We don't know anybody in that part of the world, but it's a given we will leave there with new friends. Friends that we probably won't see again for a long, long time!
And then there's Mexico, where we now have a LOT of friends. Because of our time overseas, we will only have a very short time in Mexico next March and we will not be able to see all of them.
Our Mexican family in Puerto Escondido.
And of course all of the people we have met along the way who we would really like to see again. Some of the couchsurfing hosts that we have stayed with. I hate to mention names for fear of leaving somebody out, but we've been wanting to get back to Cancun (Carmen) and Hope, B.C. (Cory and Elaine) South Carolina (Pete and Pam) and numerous other places we've been before.
And the wonderful people we met in Czech Republic (Blanka and others) and Slovakia (Michal and his family and Jana and Lukas and friends) and Iceland (we want to spend more time with the locals Olof!) last year. Who knows how long it will be before we return to those beautiful countries.
Kevin and Ruth with Michal near Zilina, Slovakia.
And so the main drawback to traveling is that the more you do it, the more friends you will meet that you won't get to see again for perhaps a long, long time. Yet, one of the things that draws us to travel is meeting the people who live in these far away countries. It is truly a double edged sword!
And so we can't wait to meet the local people who live in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. To share our experiences with them and share their hopes and dreams for their countries and themselves and to learn about their culture. It's not only about the lions and rhinos and elephants!
Sometimes meeting people is a one-time experience and you'll always have fond memories.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it takes two to tango. It's give and take. Sometimes the others have to reciprocate and travel to see you. And we have all heard the excuses why it can't happen; no money, no time, fear of flying, fear of Canada (:)) etc.
We have a large family and all my siblings are much older than I am. They have their own lives, children and grandchildren. But it's always, "you're the one who lives in another country".
That's how life is.
Yes, there will always be the memories and we certainly have lots of them.
DeleteSome of the people we have met we know will never make it to see us in Canada because of many things, so for some it isn't an excuse it is life. We love to meet all these new people and hopefully one day we will be able to meet them again somewhere in our travels.
Miss you and love you :)
ReplyDeleteLove you too and it won't be too long before we get to see you!
DeleteWe feel your "pain"!
ReplyDeleteTravel is fun and we really enjoy it but sure miss the family as well.
DeleteWe gave up trying to see everybody all the time. And I think the kids understand and I know most of our friends truly understand this lifestyle we've chosen. Live your life to the fullest and maybe it might only be a one time meeting of a friend. But they are still friends.
ReplyDeleteYou are right it is hard to fit in the whole family but really ours is fairly small so it makes it much easier. When I young I only got to see my relatives about once every 5 or so years because they were all in England. I loved my trips there but I really wished that I could have spent more time with my grandparents so I want to make sure that our grandchildren see us at least once a year. We are lucky that we don't have a "home" as such so we can always arrange to spend more time closer to her and her little family in the coming years.
DeleteWe certainly understand your dilemma, especially with grandchildren now in the picture. That is one of the reasons we have decided to give up living in Mexico full time. We want to spend more time closer to the kids and grandkids. So... we will be living in Mexico every year from November till the end of April, then either living in Illinois, or visiting kids or traveling the other 6 months.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, you never know how bad you will miss your family till something happens. It doesn't hurt to designate a few months out of the year to them, or just being nearby in case you are needed. Life is constantly changing, needs change and plans can change too. The main thing is to do what makes you happiest, and if that changes along the road, go with it. Love yas. B and S
You are right Barb, once our children have children it gets much harder and more expensive for them to travel and really it is easier for us to fit the time in for them.
DeleteWe totally understand where you are coming from in this and yes, we never know what life is going to deal us and things can change quickly. We will be thinking hard on what our plans will be for the following summer.
I hope you are really enjoying your time with family and are able to truly relax, having to not worry about the campground back in Mexico. It must fill like a big weight of your shoulders. Say hi to all the girls for us.
Love your site and especially this post. I am new to the blogging world but not to traveling. We lived and traveled on our sailboat for five years. The cruising life is made up not only of sailing but meeting new friends at each anchorage, greeting old friends at each anchorage and tears of goodbye's at each anchorage.
ReplyDeleteHello Margie, thank you for taking the time to comment. We are happy to hear that you are enjoying our adventures. I can certainly see meeting up with new friends at each anchorage, it must be something like Rving, you all have something in common. For us, meeting all these people are what makes our travels extra special and provides us with so many beautiful memories.
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