Putting Life on Hold and Enjoying a (Parenthesis)

What is a Parenthesis? According to the internet, a Parenthesis is an interval, a pause or an interlude…  So how can we put our lives on hold and enjoy a parenthesis?

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter, Gaby, booked a trip of a lifetime (I don’t think she’ll allow me to share where she’s going :-)… but anyway… after booking her trip, she sent me an email that filled my heart and soul with satisfaction. Her exact words were: “Thank you mami, for instilling in me the love to travel.”... Of course, before taking any credit for her compliment, I replied: “Thank your grandpa… he’s the one who instilled that love in me… and I’m just passing it on to you girls…”

I’ve been traveling with my family since I can remember. My father had a dream. He wanted to take us (my siblings and I) to a different continent every year. So a different trip was planned for each year, a different country (or countries) to visit. It was one of his biggest passions…. He said he wanted us to really SEE what was out there. He wanted us to learn from other people, other cultures, appreciate what we had or didn’t have, open our minds and our eyes to an entire world that is out there… My dad’s passion to take us with him to explore the world was wonderful and fun... sadly... it was also cut short... He passed away in one of our family trips… We were in Pakistan… Karachi… and after almost a month of visiting Japan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, and many other exotic places… he had a massive heart attack… As devastating as that was, I now know in my heart that he left us doing the thing he loved the most: exploring and showing us the world…

And that dream and passion passed on to me (and my siblings)…. And I guess I’m now passing it on to my own children! How great is that?  I now understand my dad's passion... and now I also want to show my girls the world!! So why do I start this blog with a (parenthesis)? Well… on my last family trip, while sipping on my delicious and beautifully decorated mimosa, sitting back and overlooking the Aegean Sea… I had a flashback of life back home, and work, and my car, and bills…. And I realized that when you’re out there, out there exploring the world…. It’s like your life is put on hold, everything stops… and trips become a (Parenthesis) in your life. Your trip is inside that parenthesis…. Open it, enjoy it, have fun, relax, go crazy, take pictures, videos, energize… then you close it, and go back to your life… but this time, you are filled with a renewed energy and vigor that lets you deal with almost anything that comes your way! So before your energy wears out again… start planning your next (Parenthesis)!

Have fun! Check out the_parenthesis on Instagram and share your special travel moments! J