When Life Looks a Little Different than you Hope

I had big dreams for this summer – a bunch of 3 day backcountry trips is what I was hoping for. My husband didn’t have any summer holidays that he was able to take from work, but 3 days on a regular basis we could do.

And then his back got re-injured. We both have struggled in different ways. He with a body that is continuing to betray him & and an uncertain future with his work, and me back in a holding pattern of surviving and trying to get my head around life not looking like I hoped.

Our family is getting old enough to pursue activities that are quite a bit more challenging, and yet we haven’t been able to. Summer is slipping out of our grasp, and I am left with feeling let down for all we haven’t been able to do. In the grand scheme of life, there are many people that have far more significant challenges, but I have learnt, at least for myself, that comparing and trying to console myself that others have it much worse, doesn’t help me. There is a feeling of grief or loss, compounded by the fact that the years are short and by the time our youngest is old enough to do more difficult adventures, our oldest will be gone. One or two summers feel like a lot to lose when I think about it like that.

I have had to change my plan. It feels like going ‘back’ to the simple adventures that we have done for lots of years with little kids, because as much as I would like to think I am super woman, I am not able to go into the backcountry with the kids as a solo parent. I have been able to hike quite a bit with friends, and enjoy day excursions and front country camping with the kids. We have been trying to enjoy summer as much as we can, in a modified way.

When life is not a box of chocolates, we have been working to make it great anyway! Here’s a little running commentary of what we have been up to!

A little rock throwing…..Hangin out at the creek…..Jumping off the wharf…..Flicking sand in pretty light!…..The boys had a blast playing this game with their cousins…..The girls humored me with bubbles while I took pictures…..Some beach time…..Exploring the giant cedar trail…..Lots of minnow catching…..Some more beach time…..Hike to the giant ammonite fossil…..
Some biking…..Strawberry roasting??!!…..The favourite game of the summer (running to hide for ‘where’s waldo’)Hangin with Dad…..Marshmellow roasting…..And general at-home shenanigans