Sometimes we get caught trying to segment our lives.

Vacation -> fun
Work -> not fun
Sitting on a beach -> fun
Driving to the beach -> not fun

But it’s not that easy.

The experience surrounding a vacation starts well before we get to the destination. It includes the flight, the experience at airport, the drive to the airport, packing, planning the trip, and more.

There’s not a black and white line.

When I look back on some of my favorite memories, it’s rarely about the thing that I’m “supposed” to remember. It’s the drive in the snow on Christmas as carols are playing in the car; the stops we made on the way home from road trip; the obnoxious flights with friends.

I’m not a parent, so I can’t necessarily relate firsthand, but I love the idea of kids disregarding the plans that their parents make. As Pete Holmes has put it, we tend to think that a walk starts at a defined point. That we aren’t “on the walk” until we’re away from home and on the official route.

But kids don’t care about these arbitrary boundaries we define.

For them, it starts as soon as we walk out the door, or even sooner. Joy and wonder come from the little things we miss – the bugs walking on the ground, a puddle, a weed next to the front door, etc.

The thing is, we’re still all kids. We just try to cover it with thoughts sometimes.

We might think that we can break our lives up and set aside time for fun. But from my experience, it’s a lot more enjoyable to let the fun happen when it comes.

-Brandon