Finding Your Bonds

A few years ago, I picked up the book "Just Us: Adventures and Travels of a Mother and Daughter". I fell in love with the idea of traveling with my mom - pushing her to do things that I would love, because no matter how many times my mother says she doesn't enjoy traveling, or how odd spending a week at a yoga retreat might seem to her, or how unlikely it would be for her to plan to hike Machu Picchu - I would love all of these enough for both of us. Really. I promise.

I am so in love with the idea of traveling with my mom, in fact, that I included it on my "bucket list" that I put together in 2010.

Just finding out that my online book club was going to read "Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure" by Patricia Ellis Herr was enough to get me thinking about this dream of mine. Of course, my mom is currently traveling in Italy and Switzerland, so the chances that she'll run off with me anytime soon are slim. And that's OK.

Reading the book made me realize that although I find the idea of traveling with my mom fascinating, the travel isn't the point. Patricia Ellis Herr could have written this book about anything at all that she shared with her daughters. She could have written about making chocolates, wheatweaving, knitting, or even taking her daughter to a restaurant on her birthday for pancakes and french fries. And even though I haven't convinced my mom to travel with me yet, she's done all of those things.

And I have lists of things I do with each of my children as well. Connor and Helen, for example, are turning into my theatre buddies. I've taken them to full-length shows along with loads of children's theatre. Perhaps this will be our thing?

Maybe we haven't stumbled upon our "thing" yet, and maybe our "thing" will evolve as we all grow older. And maybe Helen will someday invite me on some crazy adventure and I promise, Helen, I will leap at that chance.

Although I've realized that it's not the travel, it's the memories, I also think I've figured out the perfect vacation - cooking school in France! A little adventure, good food, great scenery...I think it could work. I do hope I get the chance, but even if I don't, my mom has given me a million memories.

Elaine

This post was inspired by Patrica Ellis Herr's book "Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure". I received a free copy of the book as a member of the From Left to Write Book Club.