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Time Away

After more years that I can remember or count, I will be taking three weeks off at the end of this one. With that block of free time coming closer, is the growing need to fill it with something. A family vacation is not possible because DB is not able to take time off. That leaves J and I to do a mother daughter trip. It turns out to be more complicated than I thought. I had mistakenly assumed, J would play a more active role in figuring out potential destinations. Instead, she wants options presented to her that she can select from. 

DB's contribution in this whole thing has been to vet my ideas for "feasibility" and safety. His ideas are not the kind you could pull off at short notice - it is not how he plans vacations. He takes his time, does his research and the degree of uncertainty is very limited. What I am trying to do is way outside his comfort zone. In a sense so are J and I - since DB became part of our lives, we have done vacations together. A mother daughter trip for us is not associated with the happiest time of our lives - she has enjoyed our trips as a family a lot more than being dragged around by a somewhat stressed out mother trying to slot in  fun in between chores and responsibilities. She does not know that this time it will be different, and that may explain the lack of participation. The choice between being home in winter because that is comfortable and familiar or taking off somewhere we have never been just to experience it is not an easy one. I wish I could click a button and have a choice made for me.
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