Leaving

Leaving.  A weighted word- one rarely considered in a positive light.  I however, have spent much time in the past months preparing to leave for this amazing trip, life experience, growth opportunity.  Leaving will allow me to see and experience parts of the world I never really believed would be a part of my individual journey. I am humbled and thankful to be given this chance for travel and learning and collegiality- and I can't do it without leaving.

At this moment, however, I'm just a mom about to leave her kids.  My girls- keepers of my heart- will, for three weeks, rely on someone else to tuck them in, kiss them goodnight, join them in laughter, tears, and everything else. They'll be perfectly fine, of course, but I already feel the loss of those moments, and I haven't even left yet.

My hope is that they absorb, somewhere in their growing psyches, that "mom" doesn't have to be a solitary noun. That one day in the future, when they have chosen their paths and their lives seem laid out in front of them, that adventure can be just around the corner if they are willing to look hard enough.  That it's okay to be a mom second sometimes, because the teacher, woman, person parts of them are important too, and require occasional maintenance to stay strong and healthy.  That leaving doesn't have to be a bad thing. 

Twenty-two days.  Eight flights.  Eleven hotels.  Three countries. 

I leave in the morning.