My lessons from a second choice vacation

I was so excited to head to the beach this summer. The ocean is my happy place. It’s where I’m always both taken aback by the vastness of this Universe and feel a peace when I leave…an idea that I can always return. But as a single parent and a start up business owner, I had to make a tough decision. So…rather than make it myself, I did what I felt was the next best thing. I left the decision making to my 11 year old and his best friend. (I gave them a few options).

The dynamic duo chose to go to a small lake a couple hours out of Nashville because it would be relaxing. (You heard it here first, two tweens were looking to chill).

When we arrived, the place was gorgeous. It is nearly brand new and we may have been the first to stay there. They quickly explored the place and then planted themselves on the screened in porch. I rifled through the kitchen and began taking inventory of what I needed to make things work. I became quickly frustrated. They had no casserole dishes, pizza pans, sponges….the list continued. Meanwhile, the boys were in heaven.

I took a quick trip into town (the only two stores there were a tiny grocery and a Dollar General) to collect the necessary supplies.

While the Dollar General did not have everything I needed, the Universe still had my back. I collected what I could from the store and on my way back, as I was getting ready to turn into our rental, the building across the street caught my eye. “TENACITY Adventure Fitness” was the name of the business. And clearly, the message the Universe had for me as well.

Life is an extraordinary sequence of events. They are created by us. And for us. I forget this sometimes. I feel such pressure as a parent and a human. As a single mom. I make up that it’s all up to me. And that If something isn’t working the way I imagined it should, it’s because A. I don’t deserve it. B. I’m not doing it right or trying hard enough. C. I should be doing something else instead…like who am I to build a business in my 50s and hope things will work out?

So, returning to the cabin, I began listening to a book that has provided me more than my share of motivation and companionship on my journey, “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero. (If you haven’t read it, the book is great but the Audible version is next level). I turned it on and the chapter hit me directly between the eyes. “Tenacity”. What makes the successes in business different than the failures isn’t how many times they get knocked down. (Ask Thomas Edison or Henry Ford). It is how deeply they believe in themselves and their ideas, their willingness to pivot when faced with challenges, and ultimately, how many times they get their butts back up.

After this very loud aha moment, I was able to relax into the vacation. I read more but mostly, I joined the boys in accepting that the trip was magical, even though it wasn’t the ocean. And, on the last night, I watched the sunset as the fellas paddled their kayaks in a lake they had all to themselves. (Take that crowded beach dwellers).

That is the message that lives within our app. That life is busy. We sometimes have to squeeze Magic into our busy days. Not just to connect with each other…although I can’t think of a better reason, but simply to remind ourselves that it exists. Right here. In these moments, and not just on a beach, mid summer or in front of the Eiffel Tower. Magic is where you make it. And our goal at My Gnome on the Roam is simply to help you and your kids and framily remember the magic you make and the vacations you take…and that it is a place you can always return.