“My only requirement for life is that I don’t get stuck in a rut.” – Malin Ackerman

It was time for a break.

No blogging.  No city traffic.  No hustling 5 people out the door by 8am.

Time to reset.  

Time to BREAK AWAY.

We had an opportunity to take a vacation. 

I booked our family’s first flight together.

Traveling with 3 young kids.  No small feat.

Time to roll the dice.  Time to create some memories.

The anticipation of a BIG event is sometimes better than the event itself.

Not this time.

“Best week of my life.” – our 8 year old said on the plane ride home.

BIG words from a little one.

We snorkeled over coral reefs.  Hiked in a rain forest.  Kayaked to an island where one of our kids’ favorite movies was filmed.

All accomplished while keeping a non-stop 3 year old entertained.

I learned 3 life lessons during the trip:

1) When you have an opportunity to create a memory, seize it.

Memories just don’t happen.  They must be created. 

Family vacations take:

• Time
• Energy
• Cash

All 3 can easily be allocated elsewhere in your life.

Remodeling your bathroom or buying a new dining room set will NOT create the memories that walk with you through the rest of your life.

Creating special moments with your family will.

2) Shared experiences bond people together.  

Hiking over a narrow bridge 100 feet above a valley (while carrying your chatty 3 year old) bonds a family together.

There is a special closeness that comes when you take people out of their routine and have them experience uncommon situations together.

The more experiences shared, the closer the bond.

3) Sometimes you have to dive into life head first.

There was a moment when I came face to face with a childhood fear.

I never fully conquered my phobia of swimming in the ocean.

Double that fear when snorkeling.

Watching Jaws a dozen times as a child probably did not help.  “You’re gonna need a bigger boat…”

I have no problem jumping on the jiu jitsu mat with a 25 year old looking to choke me unconscious.

But putting on the snorkel gear has me focusing on my breathing.

Our trip brought me face to face with a snorkel swim that checked every box on my phobia checklist.

Yikes…

It was time to PUNCH fear in the face.

My 8 year old son and I put on snorkel gear.  We looked down over a coral reef.

And…

dove in.

Getting caught in a rut is AVERAGE.

Diving into life head first leads to REMARKABLE.

– Joe Ciccarone

http://www.JoeCiccarone.net