Sometimes I take the pause in my blog to share part of my journey as to why I decided to write. This day is an important one and I promise to share more of my trip to Greece but to let this day go by without mention would be a missed element in the healing from some crappy relationships. On this day 4 years ago, my daughter Alexa began her own life changing move to Los Angeles. Weeks before this day, she made the choice to chase her dreams with nothing more than what she could fit into her car and the hope of finding a job when she arrived to the left coast. She was brave to do this but I had the honor of taking that ride with her out west. Selfishly, I was glad I got to take this trip with her and not her father. For her, it was the beginning. For me, it offered closure. For us, it brought us closer for the next 10 days. I got to grab back the time that was stolen from me when she left for college in Chicago.
There was a lot going on during this time. I was living with and taking care of my mom and her health had reached the point of no return. Leaving for 10 days was stressful but taking the trip with my daughter was essential for my soul. You see, where she left Chicago with only the belongings in her car, I had left SoCal in the same manner to head back to Ohio. I jammed whatever I could into a Honda Prelude. She at least had a Chevy Malibu. I had no job waiting for me when I got back home and she had no job waiting in Los Angeles. Her heart was sad when she left Chicago. My heart was sad when I left SoCal. Our departure date was set for June 1st. I flew from Cleveland to O’Hare in the early morning and she scooped me up at the airport and we literally left right from there. Good bye Chicago. Five years was enough! She planned what she thought were our daily destinations and I think we were only successful for our first stop in Lincoln, Nebraska. I laugh as the memories roll in on facebook. I documented the trip with video and plenty of commentary. This was a trip of a lifetime. Cathartic for both of us. I was finally heading back west. I truly had loved it out there and the ONLY reason I left was because I had to get as far away as possible. It was finally time to make peace with SoCal and I couldn’t have had a better traveling companion. Not all our conversations were great because 12 hours of driving through the middle of the United States can be kind of boring. But we explored the entire way there! We got to enjoy Denver and got a personal tour of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner in downtown Denver. Our next stop allowed us to spend 2 1/2 days in Sedona which was MAGICAL. Sedona and Lake Tahoe have got to be some of the most amazing places in this country. I cannot explain the magic in the air.
None the less, we stayed on schedule and touched the left coast on day 6. My soul finally felt at peace with my arrival and I can honestly say I finally felt like I allowed myself to say “That door is now closed. I am out here on my own terms now. Now I can love this place that I had to run away from. Welcome back Emily.”
And I have been back multiple times and I look forward to my next trip west. To my daughter I say “Thank you for asking me to join you.” I hope I have encouraged you to chase your dreams. Everyone needs to do that.
#chaseyourdreams #livelovelaugh #smile #avoiceforwomen
A Voice For Women 