The Journey

The compact SUV is loaded down full of their bags with more than they need. Sawyer puts the car in reverse, looking at Vita. "You ready?" he asks.

Vita takes a deep breath, assessing the situation. "Do we have everything?" Her eyes are full of panic as she fumbles through her purse.

"You're always too worried about everything. Just enjoy the journey," Sawyer exclaims.

They back out of the driveway, headed off to the west coast to escape a non-eventful summer in the Midwest. As they pull out of the neighborhood, a little voice erupts from the back seat. "Are we there yet?" Junior's four-year-old mouth yells out as he kicks the back of the passenger seat.

Vita quickly turns around, pointing her finger while scorning him. "You are not going to do this the whole trip! Play with your tablet and be quiet!"

The highway out of town sets a beautiful scenery as the blue skies are painted with puffy, white clouds. The bright, yellow sun blazes through the windshield of the car, warming up their skin. Sawyer turns the air conditioning to full blast as the cool air raises goosebumps across Vita's forearm, causing her to get upset. "Are you trying to make it an icebox in here? Turn it down," she yells.

Sawyer shakes his head, letting out a sigh of frustration. "Dang, will you just take it easy!"

Up the highway, he notices a restaurant that was featured on a television show. Excited, he blurts out, "Hey, look, it's..."

As he tries to finish speaking, Junior flails his arms in the backseat, yelling over and over, "Are we there yet?"

Vita's face turns beet red as she spins around in the front seat. "Shut your mouth now, or we will turn this car around and there will be no vacation!"

Sawyer surrenders and gives up trying to grab lunch from their favorite television destination. Vita is far too focused on being upset with unruly Junior that she doesn't bother to take notice of anything outside the vehicle. The frustration of everyone in the car causes a quiet drive. Hours pass, and he gets tired of driving, so they pull over to let her drive.

At the edge of eye's view, huge mountains emerge on the horizon as the sun slowly starts to tuck down and nestle behind the Rocky Mountain range. As Vita takes off driving, Sawyer buries his face deep in his phone, researching things to add to the itinerary of the trip. "Hey babe! I was just looking at maps and we can take this detour route to get a scenic view of the Grand Canyon in the morning! We have enough time to do it and reach our destination with time to spare."

Vita shakes her head in anger. "We are not diverting from the primary plan. I'm not taking any chances, and I'm driving. Also, Junior is being a handful, and I'm starting to get really frustrated with you and him."

Sawyer's emotions hit a boiling point. "Are you serious?! You didn't want to stop at the restaurant, you don't want to explore the mountains, and you probably aren't going to want to stop and enjoy the cosmos tonight either."

Vita loudly agrees, "You're right! I'm not stopping for anything! We have to get there as quick as we can! Go to sleep, so I can wake you up when it's your turn to drive. We are on the clock, driving straight through!"

She mashes the gas pedal, accelerating the car to get to the finish line quicker. Through the mountains, the car races down the two-lane highway. The moonlight peeks out, giving a soft white glow against the tall mountains cascading around them. The night sky looks like a Van Gogh painting as there is no light pollution from the city to drown it out. Sawyer and Junior are fast asleep to notice the natural beauty around them, and Vita is too focused on driving to soak it all in.

The high beams of the car shine in the oncoming darkness. Suddenly, a deer jumps out onto the road, causing Vita to slam on the brakes and swerve! The brakes lock up, veering onto the shoulder as rocks and dust spray everywhere.

Sawyer's eyes pop wide open as he grips his seat, while Junior wakes up screaming and crying! "This is why we should have stopped. You could have killed us! Get out of the driver's seat. I'm driving the rest of the way," he screams!

Vita gets out of the driver's seat, slamming the car door. She walks around and slouches into the passenger seat, crossing her arms while Sawyer climbs over the center console into the driver's seat. The rest of the trip is eerily quiet as everyone is consumed by their own emotions.

Arriving at the destination, everything changes as their faces light up like fireworks. "Swiishhh!" Waves of aqua-blue water leave a frothy appeal as it comes crashing onto the white sandy beaches! The beach is bustling with life as they park the car in excitement.

Junior runs straight for the ocean, with Vita trailing behind, yelling, "Slow down!"

Sawyer unpacks the towels and refreshments to enjoy the remaining day. The sun is already starting to drop down beyond the vast blue ocean as time passes by rather quickly.

"Can we do something else now? I'm bored!" Junior blurts out as he runs up to Sawyer and Vita, laying on the beach towels trying to soak up that last bit of sunshine.

Sawyer puts his hand up to block the sun out of his eyes. "Sure! I'm tired already and just want to go lay down."

Vita seconds that motion, "Me too. I'm exhausted. Let's go get a hotel room and figure out something new to do tomorrow!"

Often, our attention is so focused on the stress of small things that don't even matter, it takes us away from being in the moment with our loved ones. We miss out on truly spending time with those who matter the most. Often, we are blind to seeing the natural beauty life has to offer, rushing ourselves to some destination and forgetting to make memories along the way. Even as children, we rush things and are raised to always have to be here or there. So much time is spent worrying too much about the future or dwelling on the past that we never get to live in the present. It's a gift – seize every moment. Most of the time, our rushed determination to reach our destination leaves us unprepared when we get there, only to find out it's not even what it is cracked up to be. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip so we don't miss out on the little things in life that matter the most.