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Adaptability, realm of the young?


The boys sleeping under a mosquito net, Trinidad, July 2016.

This is just a short post about an epiphany I had coming back from my recent trip to Trinidad.

Prior to going to Trinidad with my sons, and in planning the trip and the schedule, I'd been concerned about the length of time we would stay and how the boys would adapt. The longest they'd ever been there was 10 days. This trip was considerably longer. I felt I could adapt, after all, I grew up there, but them?

How would the boys handle the heat? (There was no central air conditioning where we would be staying, only air-conditioning in the bedrooms.)
What would they be able to eat? (Food was typically spicy and rich, full of fat, salt and sugar and unfamiliar in general.)
What about the schedule? Irregular bedtimes, wakeup and activities. The constant rotation of visitors and visiting.
Would they sleep comfortably?
The mosquitoes! And Zika! And Chikungunya!
And on and on.

2 weeks of disruption I felt they could manage,  but 5?

In the end, the boys took it in stride, they just went along with the flow. They ate what there was, they tried different things, they slept pretty well and even though they complained about the heat, it didn't stop them from doing what they wanted to do (gaming) and none of us contracted any diseases. Once we were back home, everything was back to normal. Quick recovery.

Me? Not so quick recovery. I've been back in Austin now about 3 weeks and I am still recovering while the boys have been alright the whole time.There is a lesson in there somewhere.

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