In May, Rich and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary.
It’s a pretty big deal, wouldn’t you agree?
The last time Rich and I were away together, just the 2 of us, was in the summer of 2012 while the kids were away at camp.
We went to Vegas 🎲
It’s not to negate all the wonderful vacations we’ve taken with our kids over their lifetime, though, because each one of them were truly amazing. Memories to last a lifetime.
But, and even though our kids are no longer “kids” persay, we are still parents, and it is as equally important for couples at any stage of parenting to spend time away from the daily stressors of life (and there are many) to help maintain a healthy marriage, strengthen connections, reduce stress, and help improve overall wellbeing, which is why we decided that no matter what challenges we are facing at the moment, and for many years now, we know that we are more than deserving of celebrating this very special and momentous milestone; and some time away felt like the perfect way to celebrate us!
We’re not going on some whirlwind European vacation or to an all-inclusive Caribbean resort, nope, we are simply doing us, and fulfilling a bucklist dream we’ve had for the better part of 5 years now.
So for 4 whole days in May, we will be immersing ourselves in nature on a #summerofrich adventure to Tobermory, Ontario, the northern tip of the 900 km Bruce Trail which offers spectacular landscapes, panoramic views of the Niagara Escarpment and crystal clear blue waters (we’ll feel like we are in the Caribbean!). We’ve been hiking parts of the Bruce Trail for 7 or 8 years now, and I’m pretty sure we’ve barely even hit the surface.
As I busy myself with planning the perfect itinerary for the trip, it is not lost on me that one of the many reasons I don’t travel often is that I suffer from “travel anxiety”, amongst a gazillion other things of course.
This is not new to me, since my number one fear in life since I was a child just so happens to be flying and although we won’t need to fly there, my anxiety about going away, (even if it’s only a 3.5 hour drive), kicked into full gear as soon as we made the decision to go.
I have crippling anxiety and fears around traveling to new and unfamiliar places. The stress of traveling for me can often be impacted by undue and excessive worry, extreme panic, uneasiness, and my need to always be and feel in control.
Real joy killers, wouldn’t you say?
Welcome to my world daily.
I should also mention that I will be taking 4 days off from work for our trip, which is adding a whole other layer of anxiety on top of my already anxious mind, thinking about the amount of work that will be waiting for me upon my return.
My kids have thankfully not inherited my travel anxiety. All 3 of them have been around the world and back several times already in their 20 something years. They make it look so easy. I envy their passion and desire for travel and their wanderlust to venture about the world.
With only the best of intentions always, I plan to cram some of that wanderlust into my suitcase for our trip, so much so, that my worries and fears will have no other choice but to stay home.
#anniversary #thirtiethanniversary #travelanxiety #tobermory #hiking #nature #getaway #nature #relationshipgoals #natureheals #brucetrail #fears #wanderlust #mentalhealth
YouAreEnough 