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I was backing uphill into a parallel parking spot on an extremely steep hill in the middle of Istanbul.7 people were crammed into a Mercedes Vito van on our last day of a 37-day adventure with my family. I asked myself, “How did I get here?” But I knew exactly how it happened.
So, how did I end up on that steep hill trying to navigate a tricky parking situation with a gaggle of kids in the background?
Almost 3 years ago, I was let go from my job – 2 months before everyone was having layoffs or job changes in the pandemic. My wife and I had planned on doing some travel with the kids in a few years and with this abrupt change in job status we decided to “go for it”.
Little did we know what that would mean with 4 kids in tow. The first plane flights were booked. Bogota Colombia – a hub for activity in South America. Outside of a cruise, this would be the kids first international travels.
Obviously, these plans did not stand through all of the travel restrictions and flight cancellations. Instead of Colombia (Thanks United for canceling those flights), we ended up going to Mexico late in the summer. This began our annual family tradition which is a general commitment to get the kids out of the country for a month each year.
We did eventually make it to Colombia in the summer of 2021 and then most recently we were in Turkey for a month.
I ended up on that hillside in Istanbul in a rented van full of people by making a commitment that was also tied to our identity. Not just something we DO but something we ARE.
We ARE a family that gets our kids out of the country for a month each year.
Every year? Yes, we try to do it every year and we have made it happen the past 3 years.
Next year’s adventure may be a bit different since we set a goal to teach the kids how to ski.
Have you made a commitment that is core to WHO YOU ARE?
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I post weekly about banking, data science and family adventures.
Building a great family is core to who I am. It isn’t all sunshine and lollipops! If there is something you are curious about on these types of family adventures, shoot me a note and we can discuss it together.
