Here I sit in my warm, cozy home where the wood framing around the floor to ceiling windows appears to have been hand cut by Eichler’s crew in the early 1950s. Eichler intended to create diverse and inclusive dwellings for middle-class people. Now this land is populated mostly by technologists, venture capitalists, and academics, people with exceptional educations and above average incomes. In many ways, this community is like Lake Wobegon from Prairie Home Companion. “All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” It is like living in Pleasantville where the weather is 70 degrees year round, and so many people are fair-minded, hard working, and family-focused. There are some downsides to this town. The amount of success, intensity and drive can be overbearing. Some drive too fast, become self-focused and pressure themselves to achieve unhealthy levels of achievement. For the most part though, my family of four enjoys many of the benefits of the area and hasn’t had many direct confrontations with the negatives.
For this reason, I wonder why we are planning to bid ado to our sweet life and traverse the planet for a year. I think credit can partially be given to Cristina Spencer and James Currier, two wonderful friends who think big and feel deeply. Several weeks ago, Hayes and I were at Cristina’s house sipping her husband’s spectacular mixed drinks when Cristina told Hayes about her recently aborted plan to travel the world with her family for a year. I could tell that Hayes was engaged in their conversation but I was busy lamenting the confusing and disgraceful political drama of the day with Tim, Irene and Graham.
A week later in the midst of soccer tournaments, visiting cousins, and last days of school, James Currier joined Hayes for tea on a weekend afternoon. Hayes explained to him that while he liked all of his colleagues and was engaged with his work, a part of him felt discontented. James asked him what he cared most about. Without missing a beat, Hayes explained that his family was what mattered most to him. Our girls, 10 and 12, would soon be adolescents and he felt like our most impactful time with them was slipping away. James, not one to mince words, suggested that Hayes take a year and focus on family.
At this point, I returned home to the 12 year old and her cousin making chocolate guacamole, fudgsicles, and fruit roll ups and the guys asked me what I thought about traveling the world for a year. “The hundred days of May” when a mom of elementary school age children is challenged with fitting 100 days worth of activities into thirty is a “special period”. My basic MO is to say yes whenever possible, so… I said, “Sure,” thinking it may be a passing dream that could add some joy to the afternoon and eventually dissipate. I should know better. Hayes is a man who can turn an idea into action in a nanosecond, and this was not the first time that James had suggested an idea that significantly changed the direction of our family life.
Years earlier, James and his fabulous wife, Trina, had invited us and several other families to Costa Rica with their family. I thanked them and declined, saying that we tended to be frugal with our travel plans. He then told Hayes and me about a friend of his who spent three months traveling with her family and returned home to discover that she had cancer and a short life expectancy. He reported that the family had been so grateful to have had that intensive time together. The combination of the story and the storytelling had an enormous impact on Hayes and me. We joined the jubilant 2010 “Verde Como Lechuga” trip and have traveled several times a year ever since.
Rachel, I just read this. It is a lovely “read” and I thank you for taking the time to write it.