A Trip I Almost Didn't Take

and the game changer that came out of it

My life has felt really full lately. In some ways, good-full. And in some way, I’m drowning-full. I launched my first book in January, and since then, I have not stopped working, traveling, teaching, and writing. All things I absolutely love.

But…

I also missed it when my college freshman came home for a weekend- I was in LA for a keynote.

I’ve ordered dinner or made grilled cheeses more than I have made a full meal for my girls. And I felt like the balance was teetering too close to burn out.

So last week, I rescheduled everything on my calendar, scooped up my youngest, and booked tickets to Raleigh, North Carolina, where my oldest was running the 5k at the Raleigh Relays for Purdue University.

It felt unhinged. I had a podcast recording scheduled, a conference to attend, and a lot of other to-dos that felt important.

But I also felt an irresistible urge to live life and be with my people.

I sheepishly ran the idea past my husband before completing the purchase of our airline tickets, and to my surprise, he was like, “Yes, Lizzie! Go!”

And so I did. And being with Nate, watching him run, meeting his people? It was everything I needed and more. And spending some much-needed alone time with my newly turned thirteen-year-old was soul-filling.

Due to the government shutdown (don’t even get me started…), we arrived very early at Boston Logan. And to our surprise and delight? There was NO LINE. Yay!

As we cleared security, I noticed my daughter idly following along. She was dragging her Ugg-clad feet, bubble braids tucked behind her narrow little shoulders, and asking for a pink drink from Starbucks. In the same breath, wanting to know when she could watch a show on her iPad, and whether the plane has Wi-Fi.

And suddenly something hit me…

Why am I letting all this active life-learning time get lost in the come this way, ew, don’t touch the handrail, fine, we can get Starbucks.

So we played a game that taught me a really important lesson.

We stepped off to the side, and I looked at her, really looked at her.

“What?” She asked, shrugging and rolling her eyes.

The rest is for my paid subs.