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Welcome
The Beauty of a Business Trip
by Alana Morales
I have the pleasure of going on a monthly business trip to the beautiful Sedona Arizona. Even though it is for business, it definitely has its perks.
One of the biggest perks is getting to drive by myself for the five hour round trip. No listening to my son's favorite song seven times (which is a nice plus considering his favorite song is an old 'NSync song). No complaining because I want to listen to sports radio. No one kicking the back of my seat or throwing cars at each other or, well, you get the idea.
Another plus is that while I am waiting for meetings to begin, I can usually get in at least an hour of work time. It's amazing how much I can get done in an hour when I don't have the stress of worrying about what the kids are doing. Even though I have an office door I can lock, they're still in the back of my mind.
I have developed a tendency to stall a bit on my way home too. I have discovered that I can make a brief stop at the outlying outlet mall and one of the millions of Starbucks on my way home and not be too delayed. I miss my family while I am gone, but that doesn't mean that I don't also enjoy the time to myself.
I think the biggest benefit to the business trip is feeling like my own person. It's nice to have adult, business conversations without muting the phone so that the person on the other end doesn't hear the kids fighting over a Happy Meal toy. It's also nice to be able to feel like something other than a mom. I love being a mom, and I wouldn't trade it for the world (unless you catch me when my kids are staging an uprising), but there is still part of me that misses being a working woman.
I miss the playful banter with colleagues. I miss the satisfaction of handling work problems. I miss having people coming to me for answers that do not involve food, clothes, or bodily functions. But as I get ready to drop my son off at school, I realize that I would miss my kids a lot more. At least I get one break a month, right?
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