Keeping it real

I've been seeing a lot of reminiscent post-vacation photos. People mourning the passing of summer and having to go back to the grind of daily schedules and rigorous schlepping to and fro. Lots of gorgeous beach photos and warm, snuggly moments with friends and family.

I stumbled on this photo of me carrying my daughter through a particularly lumpy and prickly path in the woods while on vacation. She had been whining and complaining about something or other and I went against my instinct to pick her up just to have some momentary peace and quiet. My back hurt, it was sweltering and sweat was running in places I really didn't want it to be, and my flimsy flip-flops hardly protected my feet from the dry, scratchy sticks and grass. But so be it.

Life doesn't stop just because we go on vacation. It isn't always fun. It can be stressful. It can be exhausting. It doesn't mean we failed or our time was somehow ruined or tainted. It means we kept it real. And that's ok too.