I was talking over my dream of a family gap year with my best friend the other day, and she made an interesting point. However meticulously we plan things, as much as we want then to happen, the reality is that it may never come to pass.
My dream of travelling might be completely quashed at the last minute by any number of complications… Illness in the family, financial issues, unexpected opportunities – who knows?
But that’s not the point exactly… It still needs to be a dream nurtured. I want us to be the sort of family that feels able to ask for what they need, even if the request later can’t be fulfilled. I want to be the sort of person who can say to my husband, “I know you might find the idea of travelling overwhelming right now, but this is important to me, so I’m asking you to consider and look into it with me.”
I find it so easy to dismiss what I really want because I don’t want to appear demanding or selfish, but the reality is that someone has to choose how we live and what we do, and if I don’t come up with suggestions of my own then we’ll just end up doing what somebody else wants as a default position.
After all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
My Fantasy Family Gap Yaah 