Sketch Guy: Big Adventures Will Be Hard. Did You Expect Something Else?

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A few weeks ago, my daughter Lindsey called from the Salt Lake City, Utah, airport. She was on her way to serve a mission in Italy for the Mormon Church and had a chance to call us before she boarded her plane. Since the rest of the Richards family recently moved to New Zealand for a year, we’re all on what feel like crazy adventures.

While we talked, I told Lindsey that we loved New Zealand, but it was turning out to be harder than I expected. Wiser than I am, Lindsey, who is 19, laughed and said, “Dad, I think it’s funny that you are surprised by that. What did you expect? An awesome adventure with no challenges?”

Well, kind of.

I’m not complaining, but it has been hard in ways I didn’t anticipate. We all have this romantic vision of travel to faraway places with beautiful sunsets, gorgeous beaches and interesting people. That’s how it works for everyone on Instagram, right? Travel bloggers and what seems to be a growing cult of smiling, nomadic families seem to do just fine too.

And guess what? All those things have been true in New Zealand. The people are amazing, and the sunsets and beaches are gorgeous.

But what no one seems to tell you about is the hard stuff. Turns out that getting a family of five with all the stuff we needed around the world was hard. The mental energy it takes to drive on the other side of narrow, curvy roads has been hard. Basic things like finding a grocery store you like, an affordable place to eat out and stores that are open past 9 are all hard.

Running out of gas in a roundabout because the gas gauge isn’t the same as the one in your car back home is hard. Moving in and out of short-term rentals while you figure out where to live is hard. And don’t even get me started on rebooting our cellphone situation.

The entire process is one giant trip outside your comfort zone. And my daughter was right. I shouldn’t have been surprised that adventure is hard.

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Because here’s the thing: The hard parts are why we sign up for the journey. After all, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be an adventure, and we consider adventure a basic family value of ours.

Our short time in New Zealand has already confirmed that it’s worth investing in adventure, even if the cost includes the hard stuff we have to figure out. Once we look past the beautiful sunsets, gorgeous beaches and interesting people, we begin to see why it’s worth it.

I’ve spent more time with my family. I’ve watched my children push themselves to try new things and seen their happiness when they succeed. And perhaps most valuable of all, I have a greater appreciation for the lives we lived in Utah.

So don’t be fooled by the beautiful people smiling in the photos. Adventure is hard. There will be challenges. But done with the right perspective, investing in adventure is still one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

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Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/your-money/big-adventures-will-be-hard-did-you-expect-something-else.html?partner=rss&emc=rss