The Trip
On October 1st, 2021, my family pulled out of our driveway for a 6,500-mile journey through the western United States. We traveled in a rented RV while Mima and Tracy followed in our Toyota minivan. The purpose was simple, to take Mima on a whirlwind adventure. Eventually we found ourselves in Wyoming (getting there is a whole other story) and I stood on the edge of a canyon with my kids, and watched my daughter spread her arms wide like she was about to take flight. Far below us a river carved its way through weathered rock. In that moment I wasn’t thinking about money, politics, debt, or the news. Life felt free, safe, and harmonious. Just us and something vast and beautiful that had been there long before any of our problems existed. That trip meant more to our family than I can fully put into words.
This is what I want for my children’s lives. I want them to be able to afford life.
I want them to be able to go to the doctor without going broke.
I want them to be able to get an education without it becoming a financial burden they carry for decades.
I want them to love who they want to love without ridicule.
I want them to find work that fulfills them and rewards them.
I want them to enjoy our National Parks in all their splendor.
I want them to live better, fuller lives than I have.
I don’t think that’s a progressive wish. I don’t think that’s a conservative wish. I think that’s just what a parent wants for their children. And I believe most of us, whatever we believe politically, whatever side of whatever divide we stand on — want these canyon moments for our kids.
We have more in common than we are led to believe. The similarities that connect us are greater than the differences that divide us.
The question worth asking is whether we’re building a world that makes that possible.
If we can agree on that — really agree — maybe we start there.
Maybe we start making decisions not just for today but for the world our children will inherit.
I kept thinking about this. I wrote more about it here — Simple Life.
