All Good Things Sadly Come To An End

Melissa Smith
Aug 22, 2017 · 5 min read

July 21 — Today was all planned out. Since it’s my son’s last day we wanted to make sure we made the most of it. Nothing we had planned happened.

My son was supposed to go with my stepdad to visit his old home and childhood friend. He didn’t end up going because someone else went instead. Me and my mom were supposed to meet one of the Roamers for coffee. We were only a few blocks away when I got the message she needed to cancel.

The family is scattered all over the city now and we’re headed to pick up my son and grab a late breakfast. There was a breakfast sign I had seen next to the hotel boasting the best breakfast. We walked up and down the street and couldn’t find it anywhere. I was so frustrated because it was only two nights ago I walked by it and thought how nice it would be to take my son there.

Since we couldn’t find it I thought it might be nice to have breakfast on top of the Reichstag building. One of the Roamers posted the other day it has a great view. I didn’t know you could have breakfast there, let alone on the rooftop. Another failed attempt. Turns out you need a reservation. The next plan was to make my son really happy and visit a cereal bar.

I think all kids love cereal and have their favorites. When my son was a child he ate so much he made himself sick. We had to start monitoring his cereal eating and then he began smuggling cereal to his room. Oh, how he loves to eat.

He never grew out of the cereal phase and still absolutely loves it. I’ve had cereal once in the last seven months. While scrolling through Instagram the other night I saw he posted about Flakes Corner Cafe. I asked him why he didn’t tell me about it because I would have taken him. It’s his trip too and although he could get cereal anywhere (plus pay much less) it’s fun to do this kind of thing when you’re traveling.

It’s almost lunch and we still haven’t had breakfast. My sweet mother is a good sport and simply orders a hot tea. I can’t get past the milk in other countries not being refrigerated or cold enough. Cereal, which I used to eat as a dessert snack, no longer is appealing to me.

On the other hand my son is like a kid in a candy story, or in this case a cereal bar. The line takes longer to move than you might think. There is nothing to make only pour. Pour cereal into bowl. Pour milk into container. Sounds quick. It wasn’t. When he finally gets to the front of the short line he isn’t exactly sure what to get. I know why.

I leaned over to my mom and told her the choices for sure overwhelmed him. However, when it comes to eating he can get very strategic. I knew he was thinking about the size of the cereal and how it would fit into his bowl. He wasn’t going to order something like Cocoa Puffs because it would take up more room than Cocoa Krispies and he’d have less bites.

When he finally sat down to eat my mom asked him why he chose the cereal he did and I was right. He was a little disappointed they didn’t have Cocoa Krispies and ended up getting something similar. What I forgot is how he usually plans to get a chocolate flavored cereal so he ends up with chocolate milk. Who knew there was such strategy to enjoying a gigantic bowl of cereal?

We’ve got the rest of the day open and I’m not sure where to take my mom and son. Before I asked my son if he wanted to visit the zoo and I asked my mom if she would be okay with it. Of course she was. When I asked my son if he wanted to go he was like a kid again. There is one thing on his mind, lions.

He may act like a child sometimes but it is wrapped in an adult tattooed body which includes Lion King tattoos. No trip is made without his Lion King Simba pillow pet. Yep, he can always be found walking through the airport proudly with a child’s comfort toy.

The zoo is quite busy and he grabs the map and walks us around. I laughed when he went into the petting area and fed the goats, took pictures with them, and towered over the rest of the children who were doing the same. Unfortunately, we never saw the lions.

When I knew we weren’t going to see lions and, more importantly, the excitement of my son it was time for me to leave. I was exhausted. Days of waking up early to work, sightseeing, late dinners, and late work nights have finally caught up with me. I have some work to do and desperately need a nap if I’m going to make it through dinner without collapsing into my food.

A few hours later with my work done and a nap in the books I was ready to head out again. It’s our last night all together. My son leaves early tomorrow morning and my stepdad’s son and granddaughter leave in the afternoon. They have more travels before heading back to the States.

We enjoyed a nice meal, some after dinner drinks, and then when the parents went to bed (mom and stepdad) we went out to find a place to have cocktails. Appropriately for the day we found Monkey Bar. The cocktails took what felt like a lifetime but were totally worth it. We were surrounded by some amazing views as well. I didn’t want it to end, but when the lights came on I knew it was over.

All this week I haven’t wanted to hear, see, or speak of the time with my family coming to end. It is ending anyway.

My end of day gratitude:

  1. Doing things which make my son so happy.
  2. Having the ability to work this week and enjoy my time with family.
  3. Another amazing evening with family and plenty of laughs.

Support my travels

My Year As A “Roamer”

The daily life of a human while working and living in 12 countries in 12 months in 2017.

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Melissa Smith

Written by

World traveler. Virtual Assistant Matchmaker. Remote Work Consultant. Entrepreneur. Bestselling Author. Mother. Sister. Daughter. Human. Everybody is somebody.

My Year As A “Roamer”

The daily life of a human while working and living in 12 countries in 12 months in 2017.

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