3.15.24

There’s no load I can’t hold

A road so rough, this I know

I’ll be there when the light comes in

Just tell ’em we’re survivors

It’s a little after 10 p.m., and I just got home from doing one of my favorite things: bringing one of my kids home.

My youngest is home for a week on spring break from college. It’s wonderful.

They had a buddy drop them off in Lebanon, NH, which cut the drive in half for me. I bought the guy dinner and offered gas money as a sign of appreciation. He gladly accepted a burrito from Moe’s and politely declined the money. It’s not that I wouldn’t have driving the four hours each way, but lately I’ve discovered that long-distance, round-trip drives after work on Fridays is a young person’s game.

That used to be me.

I’ve driven Interstate 89 from Franklin County, VT, to Lebanon and Manchester, NH, to pick up and drop off my kids so many times over nearly two decades that I couldn’t begin to guess how many times I’ve done it.

Gotta be in the 500 range.

As a dad who mostly saw his kids every other weekend and during half of school vacations, I watched them grow up in the car as much as anywhere else. And even if I was literally sick and tired, I appreciated every moment the four of us had on the highway.

When I picked my kid up tonight, they were exhausted. They’re living their best college life, playing Dungeons & Dragons into the wee hours of the morning, then going out and farting around in public, and ending the day before on the day after by eating terribly and sleeping it off. To say I’m jealous would be a bit of an understatement.

So anyway, they slept all the way back home tonight. Like, less than five minutes onto I-89, and it was snoresville. But I had a lovely ride home, knowing that for a few days, I’d have another kid around the house to goof off with.

When I took the on-ramp to the road called parenthood 25 years ago, I could never have guessed what the journey would bring. The joy, the heartache, the moments of absolute wonder, the other moments of absolute frustration.

But every mile has been worth it, and as the path of the next week stretches out before us, I can’t wait to hop back in the car and see what we can see together.