As much as I hate to admit it with Charlie being gone, I’ve gone to where I don’t even want to leave the house. Even though there is always somewhere to visit in either my city or one of the cities around me. This is affecting the blog as I haven’t had knew things to share.
I told David this week no, matter what was happening in both of our jobs we were going to spend time together exploring some of the new things popping up around us because life cannot bloom if we do not get out of the house and no, matter how high gas might be sometimes you just need the drive. Come and join David and I.
With Gerald living on the couch and never moving there are days when the house feels too loud even when nobody is talking. The dishes still need done. The laundry keeps piling up. Everyone is tired in different ways, and somehow the stress hangs in the air without anybody saying much about it.
Those are usually the days I tell David “Let’s just go for a drive.”
No packed bags.
No hotel reservations.
No real destination.
Just movement.
Sometimes I want to take the long Country roads with the music low while the sun starts going down. Sometimes if Charlie is here and we can get him to go with us Charlie will point out random things we would have missed if we stayed home. And honestly, some of our best family conversations have happened sitting in the car with nowhere important to be.
That is really what the 🌿 Life As We Bloom Travel Series is about this month.
Not luxury travel. Not expensive vacations. Not picture-perfect road trips. Just the small moments that help life feel lighter again. Because sometimes getting out of the house for thirty minutes changes our entire mood. Sometimes a gas station drink, a country road, or watching the sky change colors is enough to reset our mind after a hard week.
People talk a lot about “getting away,” but the truth is, most families cannot just disappear on vacations whenever they need a break. But a drive? Most of us can manage a drive. And somehow it still helps.
Because there is something healing about movement. About leaving the same walls and people and even pets behind for a little while allows us to relax and breath. It also reminds there is still a whole world outside our stress.
Life In Bloom- Travel series is going to be about simple travel, quiet places, family drives, affordable moments, roadside stops, peaceful resets, and the little ways we reconnect with each other without needing perfect plans.
Because not every reset has to be big to matter. And honestly? Some of the memories that stay with us the longest are the simple ones nobody planned at all. Maybe that is why the drive matters. Maybe it was never really about where we were going. Maybe it was just about going together.
✨ If this post reminded you of someone you love taking drives with, share it with them tonight.
And if your family has a favorite “just drive” spot, tell us about it in the comments. Those simple places are usually the ones worth remembering most.
If you will excuse me know I’m off to pack the bag I like to take when going on adventures with my family. Inside my bag you will find Road trip coffee tumblers, Car organizers for family drives. Travel snack boxes, phone chargers, a book or two or three, a blanket and water bottle.
What must have items when traveling and why?
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
