June 6, 2014, I was flying home, greeted by my 3 year old daughter's shouts of " mommy!" in the airport, wildly waving the sunflowers she brought me.
May 6, 2015: I'm writing this blog entry for the second time after my daughter inadvertently deleted the first draft, warmed up leftovers for dinner, chose wine over yoga, and still have to leave lesson plans for my classes tomorrow.
June 6, 2015: I will be on a plane to Vancouver, British Colombia with Mike, my bike Alma, and a set of maps directing us south towards home, taking us along the Pacific coast.
There's so much to be done in the next month. But it's still not about the bike ride- the deadlines and stress will come anyway. Grades will have to be turned in the same day regardless. The childrens' demands are going to be the same anyway. You're never truly ready for something you have no idea of what to expect, so why expect anything?
Alma has been out a few times on the road, but not nearly as much as I thought she'd be by this point. The days are long but the years are short with babes. I anticipate it may be more difficult for the family this time around. There's a balancing act of staying in the present moment with them, considering the upcoming task of what's going on in my work day (or, more realistically, what I've fallen behind with), and fantasizing about quiet mornings, eating without a child on my lap, the hum of the tires on asphalt and my thoughts in my head... ideally, transferring to this electronic medium for the reader's enjoyment.
Welcome back, Alma.
