I’m at 35,000 feet, coming home from a business trip. It’s hard to leave the kids – there was a tearful call from Zach last night in which he replied to my “hello?” with “I don’t want you to go away any more.” That call also happened to come in during my first unhurried trip to the mall in over 4 years. And yes, I had to be out of state to do it.
The Upside of Business Travel:
* Staying relevant to my company: As any working parent who needs a little (ok, a LOT) of flexibility from the company, I am always appreciative for the opportunity to demonstrate the value of my salary to the C-suite.
The good news: I visited accounts that will generate 1/3 of my company’s revenue for the year and helped secure additional purchase orders and possibly even a pallet of product for Black Friday.
* Mike (my husband) and the boys had a great mommy-free time to bond. I think it’s also good for the hubbies to see what we mommies do behind the scenes and in the wee hours of the morning. The fact that Elijah’s babysitter called in sick and Mike got to experience the horrific experience of taking both boys to the doctor for Zach’s 4-year check up (which unfortunately included 3 shots and blood work) will lead to more appreciation for the next time I routinely do this.
* I got a little well-deserved “me time.” Yes, it took place between 6 hour flights, account meetings, excessive emailing to keep up with the office from the road and while I was missing the kids. I’m also able to laugh at the fact that I now classify some basic functions (such as a decent night’s sleep and being able to make 2 calls to my lovely family – who live out of state and I miss terribly) under “me time.”
I stayed in the very serene Westin Bellevue outside of Seattle and slept a full 9 hours in my “heavenly bed.” I read 2 books on my 2 cross country flights, went out for Chinese food with my colleague, had a fun time making girl talk at my first PF Chang’s experience, very nearly got to see a movie (!), considered a hotel spa procedure, and went to a mall to buy the summer work appropriate clothes I’ve been meaning to pick up for a month.
The moral of this story is to try to find a little “me time” where we can, whether the on our terms or imposed on us by our work situations. My memorable mall experience culminated in a trip to the Disney Store where I left with a Lightning McQueen gift for each boy.
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