We left for home around 8. Things were going great time-wise even with the stop in Nebraska City and the one near St. Joseph. We were on schedule to get Miles back to school sometime in the early 1:00 hour. But somewhere I realized this was not the right road. I’d done this once before coming back by myself. I started seeing signs saying 435-Kansas City. The whole thing, with a traffic jam included, adds about two extra hours.

I was not happy. Two extra hours of sitting is lot to ask of a person, a lot to ask of a body that aches and craves movement, and to go from making such great time to adding two more hours to not just my ride, but theirs also…I was quiet, silent, breathing deeply to stay calm. I stared down at the line of traffic and we talked about enduring our flaws with peace and how we were not even going to think about the added time.

I tried to not to ruin the mood with my vibe, which had gone from having fun to now greatly disheartened. Something happens in St. Joseph where I have twice now missed a turn. I don’t remember my brain being like this, where it’s compromised with these kind of directional memories. What is it about this particular road transition that is different from the others and causes me to repeatedly miss it? Next time I will watch to find out.

The kids handled it well. When I eventually realized that this meant they’d get to spend some extra time together I was able to let it go and continue on enjoying the trip. Miles drove once we were back on 36 and he and Elianna continued with their music and numbers game. I’d been looking forward to getting home with plenty of time for making a cozy supper for everybody. The fall weather and time away had increased this desire.

There was still food left to have something on hand. Josh and the boys made a trip to the store to restock breakfast and lunch for the upcoming week. When we arrived home supper was ready so we ate. “How was Kansas City?”, asked one of the boys. It was good, I said. I’d even seen some Royals fans dressed up in their jerseys. We all took turns listening to the weekend’s stories. Afterward I went for a walk and Elianna a run.