Post-holiday blues

They've been very dark blue. In fact, I'd say a particularly melancholy shade of indigo (and we all know how melancholy indigo is at the best of times). I actually cry when I hear 'Girl from the North Country' (Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was one of our road-trip CDs). There must be a direct correlation between the joy experienced on a trip and the doomy depression that follows.

So, now is the time to ponder the worthiness of this life plan of ours. In the current economic climate, spending all one's money on travel seems a particularly foolhardy thing to do (although ironically, if everyone starts believing that, I will soon be out of a job/income). What's more, housing in these parts is apparently as affordable as it has been for five years, with interest rates looking pretty attractive. In fact, putting our money (and yes, we do have some left over) into a house would most likely be the thing a clever, astute person would do.

I admit, it's very tempting, and not something that I have ruled out. But the logic of our initial decision remains, and now it's backed up by the emotion that will always be attached to those precious memories: the best, easily, of my life as a parent so far, and in fact I think I can say without hyperbole, my entire life.

Who knows when the next trip will come - if I had my way it would be later this year, but it might not be until next year or the year after, or possibly in many years time. But my position essentially remains the same: screw astuteness. Every parent should travel with their child; in my opinion, those experiences are the most valuable things you could ever possess.