This is the final post in a series recapping my trip to visit family in Italy through the notes in my journal. You can read the previous post here. The notes have been edited for clarity, and to avoid making you want to drive an ice pick into your eye.

Day 13 – Preparing for Liftoff

Today was a chaotic one. We never left the house, yet it was still one of the most exhausting days of the trip. We packed, cleaned, unpacked and adjusted, and repeated this process for what felt like an eternity.

We said our goodbyes to extended family throughout the day, and the feeling of dread that can only signal the end of a trip began to creep its way back in. We went to bed early to prepare for our 3am departure.

Day 14 – The Return Home

Today we fly out for home. Like all of my trips, I really don’t want to leave this place. As I reflect on why, it always comes back to family. Trips with family, visiting family, are the very best. But they remind us how little time we spend with them in the normal day-to-day course of business.

This system is broken. We cannot keep going the way that we have. It’s time to find another way.

Summing it Up: What My Italy Trip meant to Me

For two-thirds of my life, I have carried the burden of guilt with me for how I behaved on my last trip to Italy. This trip was so important to me, because it was my one opportunity to show my family that the person I’ve become is not the same as the snot-nosed, spoiled brat I was back then. It was my one opportunity to return the favour for the hospitality we were shown 20 years back, and again on this trip. There was no way I was going to let is pass me by a second time.

There are some trips that we only get one opportunity to take. Delaying these trips means that the opportunity facing you either changes, or disappears from your grasp completely, never again to return within reach. We cannot pass up on these opportunities when they come knocking. No price is too great, no barrier too large to stand in our way.