I-94 between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the "Twin Cities", Minnesota.
I believe that all mothers, stay at home or otherwise, eventually NEED to get away. It's vital to being a good parent. I'm not getting into whether or not father's have the same need, as I'm sure they do. I can only speak from the perspective of a mother, who most definitely gets to the miniscule, bitter end of her very frayed rope. I need to have time away from the house, from the family, from the responsibilities of day to day life. I need to get in the car and drive....I'm very fortunate to have a vehicle that I find very fun to drive, and I can open the sun roof, and crank SiriusXM Radio.
I had my moment of escape in mind the minute that I heard my cousin had delivered her baby girl. I began mentally plotting my visit and how I would get time away, where I would stay, whether or not I would splurge and get myself a hotel room and so on. It's luxurious to travel in the mind. I love to look at the calendar and discover dates that would work, and picture what the drive will be like. The rush that comes over me every time I exit the city, off on some new adventure always feels new. It doesn't matter to me if I'm going on a brief drive to visit my Mother in Illinois, or a longer drive to Minneapolis, or other places "up north". The thrill of driving off, heading out, escaping the norm is always relaxing, and exhilarating all at once. I especially love rushing off to catch a plane, but, that isn't in my near future so far as I know.
Driving allows me to time to truly think and sort out dusty stories, or shake off old ghosts that I wasn't even aware were lurking in darker recesses of my mind. The passing miles can stretch as blankly in the windshield as a plain sheet of paper, daring me to question, teasing me to play with the ideas and notions that often times are pushed to the background, shoved to the corner, and swept under the rug to make room for the more immediate and pressing tasks of packed lunch boxes, daily readers, back packs and rain boots, the "what's for dinner, mom?s" and the occasional butt wipe.
I think it's of vital importance for women who mother to get away. Get away for at least 24 hours and let yourself do nothing. It doesn't have to cost a lot, and it doesn't have to be very far from home, but find time to get away from the demands of the home, and work, and get back to YOU. The moments of solitude, to be quiet with yourself, are so fulfilling, so recharging, that I honestly think it's necessary for personal health. If you think that you can't afford it, do like I did and ask a friend if it would be alright if you could stay with them over night. That way you can get some alone time in getting there, and spend some quality girl's time with your friend in one trip. Being away from the ever present pressures of daily responsibility, even for brief periods, will leave one feeling more capable, more relaxed, refreshed, and might even bring new perspective to old situations.
Beautiful, spring flowers on the bedside table never hurt any one's attitude...
The view as I sipped my morning coffee made up for the cold, grey weather outside.
I spent a lovely day with great friends, who treated me to a visit to Minnehaha Falls. It's quite impressive, and the ice cream at Sea Salt was delightful. I highly recommend a visit to this park if you're ever in the Minneapolis area. Quite the nice tourist attraction, as well as recreational park.
Brand new baby cousin toes, good enough to eat. They look like little marshmallow peeps.
Even while it hails, and threatens to snow, the crocus's and daffodils are pushing through the cold ground, and giving us their full display. Spring is shaping up to be a wonderful time of renewal, and I couldn't have felt it so strongly without a shift in perspective. I think every mama should take a road trip and see where the journey takes her.
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