February Themes and Reflections

As a family of four, we are together a lot, but not always connecting with each other. It can be hard amidst the daily tasks of working, school, after school activities and hobbies. This month, we went on a ski vacation in Vermont together, and it was full of family connecting.

Riding the chair lift with my teenage daughter is the perfect time for random conversations, some that mean a lot and some that are just silly, but we’re connecting. As we sit there uninterrupted and ride the chair lift together, it brings moments of stillness. I found similar moments with my husband and younger daughter. 

We like to ski at smaller mountain resorts, so that means there aren't a lot of things to do outside of skiing. I think this lack of distractions helps us to clear through the clutter of what can be our everyday and spend time together. When we weren’t skiing, we played UNO, garbage and a few games on our Nintendo Switch. I also took my younger daughter to the Vermont Teddy Bear factory, which was a very fun and entertaining excursion.

Our conversations and connections spin around a shared activity of skiing together. We talked about the weather, the snow, how difficult or easy a trail was, what the next trail was that we wanted to ski. Our two girls watched TV together, bonding over a show called Lucky Dog, about saving dogs from rescues and re-homing them. 

There was also time to connect with myself, outside. I took a morning to snowshoe by myself. It was a picture perfect morning with full sun, fresh powder, and pure quiet in the Vermont woods.

What I like about vacations is they get us away from our normal routines and require us to try something new or different. As a family, during vacations there are many times we laugh, cry or yell but they always tend to be memories we look back on fondly. Because it’s a short time where we aren’t living our normal lives and so the connection is easier and deeper.

Happy Connecting,

-Michelle