When I was little my grandparents would come visit and we would all go to a water park. It was the best day ever. My grandpa would run around with us kids, going on every ride again and again while my mom and grandma hung out in the picnic section on the grass, where they seemed ok with munching on fruit and missing out on all the fun. After a couple of rides we would run over, get something to eat, and run off again. I never understood my mom until, on this trip, I became her.
In one month we went to 5 theme parks: Parque del Cafe in Colombia, Dollywood in Tennessee, and Magic Kingdom, Island of Adventure and Universal Studios in Orlando. I enjoyed each like crazy — also thanks to the fact that we went on low season and there were no crowds at all — but I also found myself skipping the chance to go on yet another roller coaster just to sit down, rest a bit and watch the people go by.
It was an interesting thing, this shift, letting go of the I-have-to-take-advantage-of-every-second mentality to I’m-just-gonna-chill. It made me feel very old, but kind of in a good way. It reminded me of how years ago, New Year’s Eve was full of stress because it was a night where I had to have fun, I had to make it special. And at some point over these last few years I just said fuck it, I’m going to bed early.
I write this post from a hostel in Lima, Peru where we arrived yesterday. After 3 very intense weeks and a long day of travels we decided to just do nothing today, leave the city undiscovered and rest. I wonder if this trip is a vessel to turn the page and slip into something more comfortable.