Forced Family Fun

I wish I could tell you I came up with this title all by myself and I wish I could tell you that we didn't have to force ourselves to take time together but I can't.  What I can tell you is how this came to be....

When my son was younger and we were basically his world, and my husband, Neil, went to work Monday to Friday and I was a stay at home mom, it was so easy to spend time together.  We have albums full of memories of things we did.  But my son became a teenager with his own agenda which didn't include us as much as before.  I became a personal trainer, started my own business and developed an addiction to courses and learning as much as I possible can.  I let this fill 90% of my time.  Neil was the last one to find a way to use up his days off by starting his own side hustle.  The 3 of us managed to busy ourselves with passions other then family time. 

When I looked back at 2020 and all it brought us, good and bad.  I loved those days of isolation that forced us to spend all our days and nights together.  They were magical.  Then the restrictions were lifted and life resumed.  It didn't take long for us to go back to our old habits of absorbing ourselves in our own separate worlds.  

One of my close friends has a son graduating and leaving home this year.  She brings it up, the excitement of her son starting his own life.  We don't yet talk about her life after he is gone, but the thought of it makes me realize that I only have a few year before I am in the same situation.  My last child will be leaving to start his life and we are missing this time with him.  

I needed to find a way to stall time.  We all know that isn't possible, so I needed to find a way use our time differently. 
I wasn't sure how to make something not lame to lure our teen into this.  

Shortly after my realization, Ein asked to go to this old abandoned satellite station (not lame) that he had heard about.  Neil and I immediately jumped on the opportunity to spend time together, it was Ein's idea aaannnddd it was outside. 
​We planned to go the following weekend. 

That week I was chatting with another friend about weekend plans sharing with her what we were doing. 
She immediately said the words "Forced Family Fun"  and I loved it!!  
This was not her phrase I learned.  Apparently there is a local lady who has coined that term.  But I am borrowing it for as long as I can and forcing my family to carve out time in their busy schedules to be together with no distractions of home.  

Welcome to our first Forced Family Time of 2021....
The Old Teleglobe Satellite Station
 Charleston, Nova Scotia

Only 30 minutes from home we set out.  We had very vague directions so finding it was it's own little adventure.  Even when we found it, the 15 minute walk there had us wondering if this was the spot or the setting for our own little Blair Witch documentary
​ (trust me I was keeping an eye out for piles of rocks and stick symbols hanging from the trees).  

The path there was an old driveway with lots of spray painted penises, quotes, and notices of who was a 'slut', 'gay' or 'call for a good time'.  Some piles of coyote poop and a couple pieces of rabbit fur and bones I assume from the pooping coyote. 
We giggled both nervously and because we were having fun.

Just when we were starting to question whether we were on the path to the satellite station or our demise, we finally made it.  
Worth the sketchy walk.  This, was a pretty cool spot to hang out with my favorite humans.

We were in awe of this old abandon building with the amazing graffiti everywhere!!! 
I had no idea there was so much artistic talent so close to us.
​

We easily used up an afternoon exploring this place.  There was barely any wall space that didn't have beautiful color painted on it. 
It is a very cool, eerie, fascinating place to wonder through.  

This place gave us space to explore together talking about what it must have been like in it's heyday, what kind of people worked there and where they lived.  

It also gave us place to talk about the current events of early 2021.  The best conversations can happen when you are outside walking. 
There is something about fresh air and being forced together!  ​

​ 
Another bonus to this is it boosted our daily steps by about 3000!!  

​We got to show Ein our talents, Neil's no fear of anything including climbing into dark tunnels to see where they go.  (we held our breath waiting for him to be sucked into the abyss) and my artistic talent for graffiti! 
Okay you got me, my talent for finding an old spray can and acting like I have an artistic flare! 

​Each one of us has a turn at coming up with our next adventure,
​we are looking forward to where 2021 is going to take us!