Best Gift You Can Give - Is To Not Be There?!?!
Posted by brian in Ethiopia, hong kong, London, macau, Paris, round the world trip, RTW trip, Tokyo
The last week or so has seen a number of blog posts written about being away from home for the holidays. In fact I recently saw the movie 'Four Christmases', about a couple that takes off every year to a new exotic locale for the holidays because they don't want to be around their dysfunctional relatives.
Do you have relatives that look like this around the holidays? My sympathies...
I take the tack that being away one year or even multiple years is great.
Because you come back and appreciate your family and friends when you get back.
Take me for example. This time last year, I was on the other side of the planet...
Tokyo for Election Night 2008
On a plane to Hong Kong on Thanksgiving
In Macau for my birthday
Ethiopia for Christmas
London for New Year's and
Paris for the Obama inauguration
Were there times I got lonely on the trip? I can't say I did. I was too engrossed with the trip and experiencing everything that I didn't notice that I wasn't with my relatives. But I still had ways to be connected with others on these special days.
I remember heading to the phone shacks of Addis Ababa to call my parents on Christmas.
I was with my aunt, uncle and cousins in London. In Paris I connected with ex-pats watching the inauguration. Same during Election Night '08 in Tokyo. Spending huge bucks in Macau was fun when I had cool people to hang out with. So you find a way to enjoy yourself, just like you would/should ANY OTHER DAY when traveling.
Being home this year, I take more joy in being with my family since I wasn't with them last year. Mom's sweet potato pie tastes better. Watching football on Thanksgiving - priceless. You remember what you had before and glad to be home to experience it again.
I can still do without the cold though. Ethiopia's 80F temps on Christmas Day is something I loved.
There are people who are at home with their "loved ones" and can't stand to be around them. But they do it out of a sense of obligation.
Don't be there for the obligation. Do it because you want to be there.
There are people who are at home with their "loved ones" and can't stand to be around them. But they do it out of a sense of obligation.
Don't be there for the obligation. Do it because you want to be there.
And if you don't want to be there, take off and hit the ski slopes for New Year's. Go to Vatican City for Christmas. Experience a Thanksgiving in Namibia, or Chile or Korea.
The people who loved you before you left will love you when you come home.
And everyone will appreciate each other that much more when you get back together again.
The bigger point may be: Why do you have to wait until the holidays to get together with the ones you most care about? You should not wait for "special" occasions.
Joining Santa may not be a bad idea
The people who loved you before you left will love you when you come home.
And everyone will appreciate each other that much more when you get back together again.
The bigger point may be: Why do you have to wait until the holidays to get together with the ones you most care about? You should not wait for "special" occasions.
Have you been away for the holidays? What did you do to keep the holiday spirit? Did you come home and find yourself enjoying the company of family and friends more? Or less?
