Okay, I completely understand that getting time off work can be a Sisyphean ordeal these days, but every time I run into the whole "only rich people go on vacation" discourse I'm thinking surely I'm not the only one whose childhood experience of "going on vacation" was piling everybody into the car and driving for six hours to pay twenty dollars a day for the privilege of setting up some leaky tents on a fifty-foot-by-fifty-foot patch of dirt next to a mosquito-infested pond in a "private campground" whose only standout features were a. an outdoor miniature golf course that hadn't been maintained in twenty years, and b. a truly breathtaking fire ant population.
The older you get, the more you choose calmness over drama and distance over disrespect. You prioritize your peace, mental health, and happiness — over everything.
Relationships are very beautiful when you and your partner are actually good friends. You show up together, share inside jokes, talk openly, have fun, and totally vibe like besties. They shouldn’t replace your actual friends, but it’s amazing when the dynamic isn't just romantic.