The Move: Day 1

January 20, 2019

Dearest Solomon,

Yesterday we completed the first leg of our journey to Denver. The time flew by, to be honest. Four things really stood out to me.

First, all the frustrations of moving and misgivings and doubt quickly gave way as the highway pulled us towards the future. Indeed we were leaving, but that was the part that got smaller and smaller behind us. Now, we were finally going somewhere — a place we don’t quite know but that’s filled with potential. Some place irresistible.

Second, though a massive truck of “41 items” was slated to meet us in the future, in this car we had everything we needed to be grateful, happy, and successful. And though my elbows were tucked in tight and you have to squint to see the passenger side mirror through the mountain of gear, we’d be fine. I fretted and fussed with your mother about how much we had overpacked, but close and cozy with all that matters in sight isn’t a bad place to find yourself, I must admit.

Third, you’re such a trooper. You’ve never been on a trip this long (neither have I). But you sat in your car seat without much complaint at all. Your resilience and inability to not see the world anew, every minute of every day, amazes me. Sure you watched “Super Monsters” and “The Magic School Bus” for a bit, but you also played with your toys, barely snacked on anything resembling food, napped peacefully, and even annotated the massive trains, pink skies, and other bits as they dotted by our windows.

Lastly, this country is beautiful. I’ve never driven across it — I don’t really like driving that much — but there’s so many different kinds of things we’ve seen. I was probably just as much in awe as you were. Every 30 minutes I wanted to stop to take a picture, but we’re on a mission. Instead, I’ll keep them in my heart — they’ll last longer there.

We peeled through 8 hours from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Today, based on our success, we’re going to try to make it to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’ve gone the southern route to avoid the snow-covered mountain paths as much as possible. We’ll see.

The warm, endearing voice of Michelle Obama, undoubtedly one of our best, First Ladies, as she shares her journey of “Becoming” has transformed this trip from mind-numbing to mind-awakening. Feels like we could drive for days — oh wait, we are!

More tomorrow.

Love Always,

Dad