When a blogger can't

Yesterday, I had to cancel on the blogger meet-up which will be happening in Mérida in a couple of weeks. We had been planning to take a two-week vacation trip to the caribbean, something I consider long overdue, and of course I had worked the meet-up into the plan. But Car is not up to the trip. He has been telling me this for awhile, but I, in my stubborn refusal to accept that we wouldn't be going, kept trying to convince him that he could do it. Yesterday I realized that it wouldn't be happening for us this year, and I wrote to the organizer to cancel.

So now I'm thinking about the word "can't".
Because sometimes a blogger just can't - can't do what s/he proposed, what s/he proclaimed, what s/he touted on and on about... and that's that.

And yet, is "can't" really the right word?

Twelve years ago, I might have made a bigger todo about not being able to go. I might have insisted or done it alone. But somehow, I've changed. All the traveling and all the adventures have had their effect. I've done so much traveling, if I never do one trip more, I'll still have done more than lots of other people. Of course I want to do more. Of course I want to go on a caribbean trip again. And right now, these next two weeks, of course I'll be missing the people I'd counted on seeing - my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their families - and the things I'd counted on doing - hanging out at Lu's house and seeing his whole living situation, going to Clo's house and haunts (though Clo is coming here so that will be nice!) And of course the blogger meet-up and all that might have been! I know I've missed a great opportunity to meet interesting people and get new input about a lot of things...

There was a time when I wouldn't have taken no for an answer. That time may yet come again. But this is not it.

Here's hoping that the Blogger Meet-up turns out stupendously! If you can be there, do it! Meanwhile, we'll be camping out on another beach closer to home for the next few days.