Fresh Eyes
In 2018, we took a somewhat spontaneous trip with over 4,500 miles in 3 weeks driving from the center of South Dakota to the edge of Washington. From the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, traveling on our own. Mother and 14-year-old daughter on a trip to gain strength, courage, to see the bigger picture and get out of our comfort zone of rural South Dakota.
We get stuck in routines, niches, peer pressure, boredom, isolation, or as an artist: the creative process. I needed to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to teach my daughter that conforming, the influence of other people’s actions, our location, or settling, is not the only way to live. To teach her that being herself and opening the boxes with her God given gifts, talents, and be curious, instead of trying to fit into other people’s boxes or ideas is going to help her find a happier journey in life. Thankfully, I had the intuition to follow my heart to take her on a random trip before all the societal events of the past few years happened. We were travelling gals on the road in the embarrassing mom minivan named “Red Bull”, mask and fancy free!
Her eyes were opened by many sights, ways of life, first time experiences, driving in a populated area, discovering roundabouts, letting her drive through forests to the beach, and to encounter people from all over the world. It was wonderful watching her realize the world outside our small South Dakota community of 1,200 and to come home with fresh eyes.
I too, needed fresh eyes. I had been stuck, my gifts locked in a box and stuffed on a shelf. I have the gift of creativity and to see things outside the box. My mind is almost constantly full of ideas with the road that leads from my mind often coming out from my hands, heArt, and soul into unique creations and artworks. It needed to be engaged again and needed fresh scenery to help.
The road-trip was an experience to cherish. We went where we wanted, stopped where we wanted, slept where…well, that was sometimes random! Our family in Washingtown was amazing in helping with the adventure, they may not have realized that their everyday adventures or area was helping us see things with fresh eyes.
We stayed with family, friends, in a few Airbnb’s, annnnd to the complaints of an eyeball rolling teenager: the Butte, MT Walmart parking lot in the back of Red Bull (I had set him up for van-glamping and we could sleep two privately and comfortably).
We got uncomfortably, wonderfully out of our routine to wander to new places with fresh eyes, and I am so ready to do it all over again after 2020. Red Bull sadly, would not be making the trip though. But us girls are ready to roll!