Better than nothing

My husband’s family gets together once a year for a reunion. We’ve been doing it for years. My extended family also used to get together annually…but as people got older and more spread apart, it became harder to do.

Last summer, my family didn’t have a reunion. Even though the reasons were understandable, I was sad about it.

The summer of 2023 came quickly, and it was obvious that we were not going to have a reunion. Again.

Ugh.

In a last-minute effort, I texted my family the dates of our trip for my husband’s reunion. I suggested we get together for a three-hour tour (fans of Gilligan’s Island will appreciate and get the reference😜).

Amazingly, almost everyone in my extended family was around and available! We made our three-hour reunion happen. Hooray!!

We ate. We talked. We laughed. Cousins reconnected. We remembered our favorite memories and made new ones. In my opinion—it was amazing.

Our three-hour tour was the perfect reminder that something is better than nothing.

It’s a good lesson for me. I can often get in the mindset of all or nothing. If we can’t have a week-long reunion in a swell location, then we won’t see each other at all. If we don’t have time to play all the rounds of Phase 10, then we won’t play any game. If I don’t have time for a full-hour workout, then I won’t do anything.

I know I’m not the only one. All-or-nothing thinking is very common. And thinking like that almost guarantees missing out on a lot of awesome experiences…even short ones.

My family’s three-hour tour wasn’t even three hours! Some people had to leave after 2.5 hours. But it was still awesome. And I’m so glad we did something.

Something is better than nothing.

You may struggle with this, too. I’m getting a whole lot better than I used to be. If you need help, let’s talk.