I can relate to so much of what you say, especially the family drama part. Every family- even the ones that appear perfect- have some type of drama. Unfortunately we only have control over ourselves and we can’t change the actions of others, but we can change our reaction and in my experience that helps shifts things.

As far as travel, sometimes when I’m stuck and we don’t have the funds or time to escape I’ll travel through the internet, check out a travel guide from the library or research our next vacation so I have something to look forward to.

There’s also great travel literature that I’ll often read such as The New York Times Footsteps, 1000 Places to See Before You Die and The Best American Travel Stories. These stories take me on a journey and sometimes that’s just as good of an escape from the every day mundane.