Make it

I am in the 9th hour of a 12 hour car ride from New York to North Carolina, in the backseat, with no control of the music or temperature of the car. At least I have a stash of chocolate and my laptop to keep me sane.

My expectations for this trip were low and by low I mean I would have gladly scheduled a root canal to get out of it. Yet here I am, and have been, since 6am this morning with Marc, Eric and my mother-in-law, Ann. We are on our way to a family wedding in the outskirts of Asheville, NC…800 miles from home.

I can hear you now, Why not fly? Good question.

Believe me, I tried. There are no direct flights between here and there and the layovers were extensive. The wedding location where we are going is a bit remote, so the difference in travel time was equal, hence the road trip from hell. Here I sit, doing all I can not to pull out my hair, strand by strand.

I have no internet, no work, no Facebook to entertain me. The incessant country music Marc listens to while he drives is enough to put me into a coma. Eric and Ann swapped seats at the last rest area because Eric was tired from only 3 hours of sleep last night. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the house full of boys that showed up at midnight to “hang” with Eric. He grabs a pillow and is fast asleep on my lap. I look at his legs that are now too long to fit across the back seat anymore and I sigh. He’s not my little boy who used to call me, “Mommy.” He’s a young man who calls me, “Ma.”

I really am so proud of Eric and all he is becoming. He’s working part time with Marc at Merrill Lynch; he’s taking an online class over the summer to get ahead, and he’s living the social life of a college student. I love that he still takes time to “hang” with the family…and sleep on my lap.

My trip down “Where did all the time go?” gets replaced as I notice the conversation in the front seat. I’m listening to Marc and Ann talk about golf. Ann took the sport up a few years ago with some of her girlfriends and it’s so nice to hear Ann and Marc connect. Talk about “Where did all the time go?”  Here I sit in the back seat with my son asleep on my lap and Ann and her “baby boy with grey hair” chatting it up in the front seat.

Life is chaotic and our little boys grow so fast it would make any G-force jealous. This never-ending car ride from hell has turned into a captive mother-son bonding time that truly is priceless. Life is what you make it. It really is up to you how you choose to make the most out of your life. You can choose to resent time, your wrinkles, and bad flight schedules or you can choose to embrace all life has to offer. Mind you, life will make you crazy if you let it or it can make a captive audience a wonderful memory. The choice is always up to you, make it worth it.

...and somehow I think our angel co-pilot had something to do with this…

Seriously though, next time I’m flying.