I think I set a bad example
Or a really good one?
I´ve been trying to get my parents to visit me in Spain since March 2020, but with the deadly virus going around, the timing was never great.
In the summer of 2021, when it was a little safer to travel, I was finally reunited with my family after not seeing them for over a year.
I traveled to Minnesota, where I met up with my parents and spent some time with my mom’s side of the family—people I hadn’t seen in years. Cousins who were once shorter than me towered over me as if I was the young one.
I went on many adventures with my family, bike riding through the city, kayaking, brunch, and spending some much-needed quality time.
My time in the States lasted about a month, and then I returned to Spain. After about a month back, my mom sent me a message saying she was thinking about coming to Spain.
I thought ok, she’s telling me this in September, so maybe she’ll make it out here by October when the weather is still pretty warm.
But within a week of her telling me that she wanted to come, she was on a plane
This is what I mean. Am I setting the example that you can just get up and fly across the country?
I guess I am
Our week together consisted of lots of walking, learning the history of Spain through exploring cave houses and bomb shelters. And trying to find a Spanish dish that my mom would actually enjoy.
( She finally found her favorite meal at a hotel the night before her flight)
I felt super fortunate to have this extra time with her, especially since it had been almost two years since we last embraced.
Also, I was so proud of my mom for jumping on a plane by herself to travel to a country where she didn’t speak the language.
My mom is a hardworking, intelligent, and dedicated woman. And did I mention she has her doctorate in Education?
And although she helped me catch the travel bug by taking us on family trips to Mexico and the Caribbean when I was younger, she tends to be more adventurous when she’s with family or people she knows.
My mom refuses to drive at night, and I don’t think she’s ever flown to Europe alone.
But aside from getting on the plane and making the trip, the most extraordinary thing my mother did was stop making excuses and do what she wanted to do.
So many of us live our lives wanting to do things, wishing we could go after what we want—saying to ourselves one day, when I’m older, when I’m retired when I have more time, excuse after excuse.
And I know some excuses are valid and some things you just need to be patient with.
However, I encourage you, if you've been wading in a boat of excuses, to stop rocking the boat by telling yourself one day. Instead, dive into something you’ve been craving to do.
Take that trip
Sign up for that cooking class
Redo the bathroom
Go out on the date
Do what your heart has been whispering to you, to do
Do yourself a favor and stop holding onto excuses.
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I hope you found this post inspiring. If so, please forward it to someone you know. My name is Kiersten, and I'm a freelance writer and coach. Through coaching and writing, I help people to think differently to expand who they are and become their most authentic selves. If you are needing some more inspiration to take action, check out my eBook or sign up for a free coaching call.
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