Post trip thoughts

I’m back in the office after a short few days in San Juan, Puerto Rico with the family and the in-laws. It’s an absolutely gorgeous place with amazing people and culture. I loved being able to explore a new place and culture again as this was the first time going somewhere new since Colin was born 18 months ago.

All that said, things are different obviously nowadays with Colin. I’ve learned a lot between our last trip to Mexico in the fall and this trip to Puerto Rico. Vacations aren’t really vacations for the parents anymore. It’s more about gaining quality experiences with your kids which is magical in many ways, but not as relaxing or enjoyable for the parents.

The highlight of my trip was yesterday morning before we packed up to fly home. We took Colin to the beach for the 2nd time this trip and this time around, he was a lot more comfortable and starting to love the water. He was smiling and laughing as he ran up and down the shore. It was a magical moment after an up and down trip.

I wish I could report that it was an awesome trip the entire time, but my stress levels felt at a medium-high level for large portions of it. Part of that is just being a parent of an active toddler where you just have no idea what to expect. Part of it was also having my elderly in-laws with us. And the last and probably worst part of it is my inability to deal to shut off and deal with my stress from other areas well.

I unfortunately let a lot of work stress seep into this trip and it was on my mind for large parts of the trip. This was something that didn’t need to happen and a lot of it was self-inflicted. I have a lot of work to do in this department to ensure that I stop bringing this stress home and impact my personal life. In retrospect, none of the things I stressed about moved the needle and ultimately it was a nothing-burger that lived in my head.

On the topic of stress, I wonder how much being in New York this last year has changed me. Sophia and I were chatting last night about how stressful getting an Uber in San Juan was despite not being a very stressful at all. The drivers were always helpful and patient, but we felt like getting a simple Uber was an incredibly stressful situation every time given Colin and my elderly parents.

I wrote a little bit a few weeks ago about how my perception of wealth has shifted a bit since moving to New York. I wonder just how much living in New York has changed me. Everything is well… just more stressful here. The crowds and the people. All the reasons that make it a great place to live also have a trade-off that nothing is ever easy.

I wonder if I’ve just become an angrier and less pleasant person in the last year. If I’m asking the question, I probably already know the answer there. It’s one of the many things that I need to work on this year.