It feels like everyone’s in full summer swing right now. I keep hearing about big trips, family reunions, bucket list adventures — all the fun stuff people have been looking forward to. But what I’ve been noticing just as much are the little last-minute things… the “let’s just go” moments that don’t take weeks of planning.
A couple weeks ago, Ashley took off for a well-earned weekend with her close friends, leaving me and our two girls to fend for ourselves and have some quality time together of our own. I didn’t make a plan — which, to most of you reading this right now, is unusual. On Saturday morning I asked my oldest what she wanted to do that day. Without even missing a beat, she said, “Log Flume.”
In our house, that means one thing: Canobie Lake Park. Well, without thinking twice about what it meant to solo-parent for the day in an old school family theme park, I agreed! It’s about an hour drive to our beloved Log Flume, so we quickly threw some snacks and water bottles in a bag and were off on our way.
On the way up, I spoke with the girls about how we stay together, listen, and make sure we have fun along the way. We didn’t think about the crowds, lines, what was for lunch, if we had packed enough snacks, or what our dinner plans were…. We just hit the ‘go’ button. Even though small, this was one of those moments of spontaneity that I hope to always appreciate and teach Holly and Natalie to embrace.
Did we have fun? Absolutely. Did I sleep like a rock that night? 100%. We rode every ride and took turns doing whatever the other person wanted. Holly needed an adult on every ride and Natalie didn’t want to go alone, so we laughed about how hard it was to squeeze all three of us into ride seats and made the best of it. What we learned (or maybe re-learned) is that being flexible together is still fun. I included a few pictures instead of writing too much in this article.
In life, the unexpected is inevitable. Sometimes it’s as small as a spontaneous trip to the amusement park. Sometimes it’s a big life event you didn’t see coming. Either way, it helps to know you have the flexibility (not just in your schedule, but in your finances) to say “yes” when you want to, and handle surprises when you have to. Make sure you know and understand what financial flexibility you have for whatever life throws your way. That’s often where the real freedom lies.
Until next time.
