Up In The Air, Flying Far, Far Away…

This past week I was given the amazing opportunity to visit San Francisco.  Kid free.
Alright, I was there to work- test driving the 2011 Ford Fiesta for Ford Canada (plan to read my car review in the near future)- but, people, San Francisco! And me! ALONE…

My active little man is the light of my life, but his desire to get into everything imaginable has made it hard to do anything but follow him around the house.  Turn my back for one second and he’s halfway up the stairs, ripping off the child safety lock on the toilet or trying to shimmy himself underneath the safety gate.  Love his curiosity but, man, it can be all encompassing.  Couple his wild ways with the stress of going back to work, and I was feeling like I was reaching my tipping point.  So, when I was offered the opportunity to go to San Francisco, I went through a myriad of thoughts and emotions:

Was I really going to pack my suitcase and jet off to one of the coolest California cities and leave my kid in the dust? He still doesn’t understand half of what I say, so what if he feels sad or abandoned or afraid that I have left him? What kind of mother chooses fun travel/work opportunities over spending every waking moment with her child?  What will people think of me?

What if my son hates me because I left? What if he gets sick, won’t eat, falls and bumps his head, or hurts himself and needs to see the doctor?  What if he doesn’t miss me and is happy that I’m gone? What if something happens to me while I’m gone?

I sure could use a day or two to catch my breath, talk to grown-ups about non-mommy issues, and sleep.

In the end, I took the opportunity and am so glad I did.  Although I still felt guilty and nervous, the break was one of the greatest things I could do for myself. Why?

• I watched an entire movie, from start to finish, on the plane (Up In The Air- loved it!). I also saw Season 4 of Dexter, a few episodes of Modern Family, and Mad Men.  While watching, Diet Coke magically appeared on my tray and I didn’t have to move once.
• I wore clothing that I didn’t need to worry about ruining. And HEELS!
• I slept all night long in a huge king sized bed. Alone.  No monitor waking me up at 3am.  I also watched TV from bed and chose what I wanted to see.
• I showered.  Twice.  For a really long time.  I shaved my legs too.
• I was served breakfast, lunch and dinner. I didn’t lift a finger to prepare or clean up.

I loved the little break, I loved the work that I did while I was there, but I also loved coming home.