Positively Tuesday-Letting People Experience Their Own Life Adventures

     Thanks for the well wishes yesterday. I slept a ton. Ate very light, and then slept another good seven hours last night. I think I am through this 48 hour or so ish and am heading off to work in about 30 minutes. A long shower and deep clean of my hair never felt so good this morning. It's my favorite day of the week, sarcasm intended. So in my spirit of faking all things negative, here's my positively thoughts for this Tuesday, February 4th. 

     My daughter is finishing her last official day of her tour today, and will then have two more nights n Auckland before a marathon travel day home. I am so excited to see and hear more about her trip. However, like all things, she should and will keep some things to herself. Unique memories, inside jokes with her travel companions, a stunning view while having thoughts no two people can experience the same way. If, no when, I get to New Zealand, I'll be sure to remember some of what she shares, but I'll experience things very differently. 

     My mother-in-law, has done quite a bit of traveling, pure tourism stuff, very little not as part of a guided tour. When she was on a very long cruise,  I believe had two brief stops on the New Zealand North Island, but shared in great detail what my daughter should be sure to go see and do. Same with a brief stop in Spain on her Mediterranean cruise, and she almost sounded like an expert if we didn't know better, about Alicante, Spain. one of the college locations DD2 is considering for study abroad. She means well, but she dives into other peoples vacations like someone who has spent years in the place, and goes into details abut what the new traveler should see, eat, feel, and experience. This is her general nature as she has this same pattern with any of life's adventures that she has experienced from the mundane like hosting parties or being in a social club, to big things like home ownership and parenting. She's not a monster-in-law, its just her way of trying to make a connection, but it often comes across as "you're not doing it right, let me tell you how I did ,,,."

     I think it is very important that while we look for the connections between ourselves and another person, we need to be careful that we're not impeding on the other person being able to experience the event for themselves. I know I got caught up with each of my kids looking for and then choosing a college. I enjoyed seeing them experience what I went through so many years ago. It was and is tough sometimes keeping my memories and how I did things to myself, or not prying to much about what they do on weekends. 

     Not everyone will travel across the world, by choice or means or both, but life gives each of us adventures regularly. I think it is important to show interest, but not take over those adventures. Knowing it bothers me when someone jumps into my experiences or stories about them, I'm trying to do more question asking, less preemptive sharing. My expectant coworker doesn't care to know my  pregnancy's and delivery stories unless she asks. My staffer who is getting married doesn't need 20 people chiming in on what they did for theirs, again, unless asked, or as part of a joint conversation,. This is my positively Tuesday thought for the week; let people experience their own adventures and support them on, but don't take over, the ride.