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Cancelled Travel Becomes a Gift

of Connection and Time

For Thanksgiving this year, my partner, Oscar, and I planned an exciting getaway to Banff, Canada! Most of our vacations are to visit family, and while we love that, there’s something different about a week away for just us. I’m an avid photographer, and we have always wanted to see the mountains and the glacial lakes. Since he had a week off, it was the perfect opportunity to travel and spend some time together, just the two of us. 

As our travel date approached, I felt more stressed because there was so much to do before we could leave. We hadn’t packed a single thing, we didn’t have winter clothing, we hadn’t arranged for our cats to be fed, and we had a long list of other things to be done! 

Two days before we were supposed to leave, Oscar started to get sick. I could tell he still wanted to go on the trip for me, but I also noticed that he really didn’t feel well. So I became curious and asked him if he would prefer to stay home. Later that day, he finally suggested we cancel the trip. Letting go of my expectations, I hopped on the internet and canceled the whole trip.  It felt like the right thing to do. I expected to feel sadness, but instead, I felt relief. 

I recognized quickly that staying home left space for other things to come in. While he stayed at home to recover, I nurtured myself by connecting with some friends— experiences that I thought I’d miss. Since Oscar felt better, we hosted a small Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, who hadn’t had anywhere to go for the holiday. We watched some old movies, and I had a chance to slow down, which isn’t the case for me very often!  

What expectations do you have to Let Go of this holiday season? How can Positive Reframing help you find joy? 

With resilience, 

Emily and the Dovetail Team

The Mindsets and Skills that helped Emily: 

Connecting Skill of Noticing Others

Resilient Mindset of Curiosity

Centering Skills of Noticing MyselfPositive Reframing, and Letting Go


P.S. Struggling with altered expectations, the holidays, or other issues?  Join the conversation in our supportive community!

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