I’m not the kind of mom who takes time away from her kids. I’ve gone on the occasional romantic weekend getaway, but never ALONE… except once. At the cabin. Here’s the story: at work, we signed up for an “Avenger” race. We trained, we motivated each other, we made our costumes. We were ready!!!
Then, a coworker invited us to spend the rest of the weekend at her cabin. We finished the race, stopped by the grocery store, and found ourselves all together in a beautiful house by the lake. Pure bliss. There was a dock with lounge chairs—perfect for morning coffee!!! A little gazebo for dinner… we were all so excited.
On race day, my husband and kids are there!!! They follow my route on foot, shouting my name and my friends’ names. Everyone is amazed to see just how much my family cheers me on. That’s exactly why I never go anywhere alone. My family is amazing—strong, loving, and full of compassion!! I love spending time with them…except for that one time at the cottage.
We popped open a bottle of champagne, drank on the dock, had dinner, and kept drinking our wine… nonstop. We re-celebrated my bachelorette party, all in dresses, sipping bubbly, and posting “Boomerang” videos of it all on Instagram. Then it was time for dinner. A big salad, full of vegetables. BBQ-grilled souvlaki washed down with good wine. No beer, no apple juice. Then we changed into pajamas, played ’90s music, and made s’mores in the oven. We could have fun without worrying about making noise. We brought out the board games and more wine. We pull out “L’osti de jeu,” then “Jokes de papa.” We laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. Then, off to bed. We know full well that the next morning we’ll be able to sleep in. But by 8 a.m., we’re all up, out of habit. We turn on the coffee maker and check our phones, but we’ve got only one desire: to drink our beloved caffeine on the pier.
I, for one, am bored. It’s clear that we’ve been talking about our kids, our boyfriends, and our family lives all weekend. Because we trust each other, because we’re building bonds. I opened up, cried, asked for advice… because I love my work crew, my friends. We support each other, listen to each other, and encourage each other. We respect each other. And this weekend came at just the right time. I was going through some tough times, and my friends were dealing with their own stuff in their respective lives. It did us all good to get together just among ourselves, without the kids.
Except for that one time at the cabin, I’d never allowed myself to spend time alone away from home. Even though I hadn’t specifically felt the need to, getting away did me good. I hugged my kids tight, kissed my husband, and came back telling myself that, after all, going away alone didn’t make me any less of a mom.