Family Trips: A Glue That Bonds

One of the things I really like about our family is that we love going on outings together and that we do it frequently.  This is a family tradition that goes way back to my childhood and probably earlier.  I have great memories of going to places like San Bernardino, Jaragua do Sul, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Buenos Aires, and Bariloche as a child.

By the time we immigrated to Canada most of us kids were older and independent so that we didn't do trips that seem as impressive as the earlier ones, but still, virtually every year we visit places like Penticton and Oliver.

These sort of trips are good for a number of reasons: they give us a break from our ordinary routines, they enable us to see places other than home, and they build familial relationships.  Trips are in a way kind of compass that guides us all to remain in the same orbit, lest we should each go off on our own way, out of reach and touch with each other.  In our mobile and hurried world that's without a doubt the way things would go.

But the unspoken of factor in all of these trips is that dad always pays for them, and that he'll continue to do so, indefinitely.  And he's never complained about this assumption - in fact, he insists it remain this way.  Once, a few years ago while on a family trip to Penticton, I annoyed him royally by paying for the hotel stay.  He immediately issued me a cheque in return, instructing me to deposit it, as family matters like these were his domain.

But the truth is that if mom and dad didn't continually encourage us to go on these trips and pay for them, it's highly unlikely we'd continue them.  And this is not because we'd rather stay at home and watch tv - we don't.  It's just because as sibblings - not to mention in-laws, nephews, and nieces - I don't know if we could all come together and compromise for the greater good.  Coordinating and agreeing on destinations and dates would be quite problematic.  Our parents, in this sense, are a sort of glue that bonds us.

Today's expression of this tradition to go on outings was a daytrip to Harrison Hotsprings.  It's been awhile since I've been to Harrison; I'd forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it is there.