I created Living ROI as a passion, to share my experiences and support others who want to live more authentic, joyful and fulfilling lives.

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, my youngest daughter, Marina, asked if I wanted to go on a road trip. Her plans had changed, and she was up for some Mom time. When this Mom’s 20-year-old asks to go on a road trip, the answer is easy. “Yes!”

We are now on day five of an eight-day trip. The first half was in the desert—Joshua Tree and Death Valley (two parks to check off for my 2020 soul goal). The second half is in Colorado, visiting friends and checking out schools to potentially transfer.

I came across this excellent article about How to Successfully Parent Your College Student. In summary:

• Let Go
• Stay in Touch (But Not Too Much)
• Allow Mistakes to Happen
• Don’t Visit Too Often
• Don’t Pressure Them to Come Home All the Time
• Avoid Too Much Advice
• Give Space

Marina is a bright light and so much fun…much of the time. Sometimes I bother her. You know…how I chew, how I talk, how it takes me a minute to get my thoughts out. I have gone through much of my life thinking I am fairly competent, but then I am reminded, indirectly and directly, that I can be dense. 😉

If you are a parent, you may know what I’m talking about. I used to love to tease my mom when she didn’t get something right away. It was all in fun, but it was clear (to me) that I was sharper and more up-to-date than she. And now, despite my experiences in life, I have a sharper and more up-to-date person teasing me. Karma. “Mea culpa, Mom.”

We are having a wonderful time. A special time. So much time to just be together, walking through the desert, sharing stories, sharing experiences, and even sharing silence.

We are both learning to be tolerant and respectful of our differences, similarities and needs.

Marina just returned from five months in Spain where she studied and spent time traveling on her own. We have been talking about the sense of freedom you can experience when traveling alone. No one waiting for you. No one expecting anything from you.

The Joni Mitchel song, Free Man In Paris, captures the feeling:

“I was a free man in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No one’s future to decide”

When Joni Mitchel wrote this in the 1970s, and when I traveled on my own in the 1980s, life was very different. There were no cell phones. No email. No internet. I would maybe call my parents once a week from a phone inside a post office somewhere. They didn’t know where I was moment to moment. Just that I was “traveling through Europe.” It was even easier to be “a free man in Paris” in those days.

Wishing us all more opportunities to walk through the desert without cell service or internet. More small chances to capture the feeling of being free, “unfettered and alive.”

Back on the road with gratitude for this opportunity,

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P.S. Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD). I am so grateful that the world is vastly more open and equal for my daughters than it was for my mother. The goal of IWD is to help forge a gender-equal world. Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.