Leaving Home

Last summer, my mother-in-law told me to take some time away and replenish my energy. I laughed it off because it seemed an impossible feat. "Me? Take some time away? Away from my kids? My work? My PTA gig - building a school garden from the ground up? Me? No way. Not possible."

But she meant it. She meant it so much that she took time away from her own life for the entire month of March to set me free. This month, she is staying with my children while I take some time to myself. As you can imagine, I'm filled with gratitude for this enormous gift. I mean, who gets to do something like this? Certainly not a mid-30s mother of two elementary aged children. But its happening despite my disbelief.

Yesterday, I left home and drove from Dallas, TX to Winslow, AZ. This morning I drove from Winslow to Paso Robles, CA, the place of my birth and upbringing. I will be here for the next three weeks. What will I do? That remains to be seen. I have some ideas, of course, but I'm keeping most of this journey to myself until I know what its all about.

One thing I know for sure, I will miss my home in Dallas. And I'll miss my kids. But taking time to oneself, time to reflect and heal and imagine and grow - this is also important and necessary work. I'm sure I'll write more about this in the coming weeks, but until then here is a little house tour. These are photos I took the day before I left home to remind me of the goodness and beauty to which I will return.