The Seasons of Life
Can you believe we're already onto fall? The season of cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes, and [praise the lord] back to school. As much as I complain about the cost of childcare in NYC, by the end of summer, I am ready to throw cash at anyone willing to take them off my hands.
One of my favorite parts of living in New York is that we get to experience the changing seasons. It anchors you to certain points in time. As the years stack up, memories can blur together, but you can always remember how the weather felt – whether it was a sticky summer day or a cool October evening.
There’s also comfort in the rhythm of the seasons. The oppressive summer inevitably gives way to a crisp fall, frigid winter, and warm spring. Each time the cycle restarts, you’re a year older and [hopefully] a little wiser.
Like the weather, life has its own seasons. Each one demands something different and brings new perspective to how you see the world.
Childhood is the first season. Your only job is to be a kid – to play, to explore, to learn. Summer vacation meant a reprieve from school, chasing the ice cream truck down the street, and if you were lucky that year, a trip to Disney.
My first trip was to Disneyland in California when I first arrived in America. I don’t have any direct memories of the trip outside of a few pictures of me looking especially salty for whatever reason (I must’ve skipped a nap).
But I do remember talking about it with my mom all the time growing up. The best memories aren’t always the ones you recall firsthand, but the ones retold so often they become part of you. Like the night before my wedding — I don’t actually remember how I ended up with a black eye, but the story’s been told enough times that it feels like I do.
Disneyland has changed a lot since that first trip. There’s Star Wars, Marvel, and a whole second park now. But what makes it special isn’t the new stuff. It’s in what’s endured - Main Street, Cinderella Castle, the fireworks at night, etc. That's the magic that brings you back to the time of your own childhood.
Fast forward a few seasons, now I’m in the season of starting a family and trying to create memories with my own kids. Summer vacations and trips to Disney are vastly differently during this season of life. This year, we decided it was time for our first family trip to Disneyland.
I’ve done some hard things in my life – cold plunges, 100 hour work weeks, running a marathon, but this "vacation" with two toddlers might’ve been one of the most exhausting. By the time we arrived at the Airbnb after the 18-hour door to door trip, I was questioning my sanity and ready to get back on the first flight back home.
But when you see the kids’ faces light up as they walk through the park, jump around in the rides, and stuff their face full of churros, it fills your stressed out, sleep deprived body with another overwhelming emotion – joy.
Parenting makes you realize that it’s not about you anymore. Everything you do, you do for them and it’s worth it.