My husband and I are super lazy. I’ve labeled our lives together "The 7 Year Plan," even though there was no actual plan. I was 19 when we met and channeling Cyndi Lauper: I just wanted to have fun. Neal was game for anything. We dated for 7 years before we got married and then waited, for no apparent reason, another 7 years to have one child. Did I mention we were lazy?
I became a mother at 33. In an ideal world, I should have been pretty capable by then, but my son was colic and SURPRISE! I had no idea how to make him happy. Also, there is really no preparation for the hormonal upheaval that ensues. It's not pretty.
Brandon was born in the fall and I would walk him around my neighborhood in a Snugli. As he hollered, I called out "Baby For Sale." There were no takers. Months later, when his body grew tired of farting, he became a stupendous joy. Even so, we decided to leave well enough alone. We were tired.
Having one child made it easy to travel. We explored many places and had fantastic adventures together. The 3 of us.
This year brought changes to our lives. Neal got a new job and his vacation time got rebooted, limiting his time off. Brandon had a summer internship in Seattle and I traveled alone to see him. This was the first time that we weren't all together. Brandon & I had an awesome time but there was a nagging, empty feeling all the while because Neal was not with us.
As I write this, Neal and Brandon are on a road trip without me, driving down from Seattle to Los Angeles where Brandon goes to school. I should be thanking the gods that I am not with them for countless reasons:
- I hate being in the car.
- They stayed in an $89 motel in Eugene, Oregon. Need I say more?
- They have no plan whatsoever
- The car is filled with dirty laundry.
However, I can't help thinking about the all the things they are seeing without me:
- They had breakfast in a waffle house in Eugene and there was a band playing. A band!
- They can see Russia from their car. No, not really but they are driving along the Pacific Ocean and have beautiful views.
- They got stopped for 15 minutes by a herd of elk crossing the road in the middle of a Redwood Forest (cue Woody Guthrie).
- They went to something called Avenue of the Giants, and drove through a tree.
And this is only Day 2. I am home alone, talking to the dogs. Don’t even give it a second thought, Boys. Love you beyond.
