妈妈的单独旅行.docVIP

妈妈的单独旅行 　　For years， I was lost in that delicate dance of working and raising young children. Breakfast at seven. Clothes picked out. Backpacks filled. Off to school. Drive to sports…or music lessons…or friends’houses. Dinner. Homework. Bed. And in between babies’ naps and play dates and taxiing， I fit in my “real”job―online teaching and academic advising. Phew. 　　I remember， oh so clearly， that morning I brought my third child home from the hospital. As I walked in the door， carrying a day-old baby， the home phone rang. Out of habit， I rushed to answer， only to be greeted by a student asking questions about his courses. Looking back， I can almost see that red flag floating over my head， warning me that something had to change. 　　That filled-to-the-brim schedule went on for years. It was， at first， delightfully exhausting. Predictably， though， it wore me down. 　　One evening， after a conference with a student， a homework session with a 10-year-old， and a midnight baking 1） stint for a fifth-grade class party， I 2）slumped to the floor. I can’t make another batch of cookies， I thought. I don’t want to advise another student. I had gone from superwoman to broken-down woman， right there in my dimly lit kitchen， with my family all safely tucked into bed. 　　Pulling myself up off the floor， I realized I had to get out of Dodge. It took me less than 24 hours to make my plans. 　　“I’m going on a journey，” I announced at a family dinner that week. 　　“To the mall？” my young daughter asked. 　　“No，” I explained. “I’m going on a trip?Calone?Cto Los Angeles. And I’m taking the cross-country train.” 　　A quick flight to a neighboring state held no interest. Rather， I pulled out the 3）Amtrak map， selected their longest route and reserved a ticket to Southern California. 　　I had never had much desire to visit Los Angeles. But a not-so-appealing-to-me place and a lengthy journey―was a draw. I didn’t want to spend my days rushing to tourist spots. That was the type of vacation I