I had been trying to convince my mom to take her first plane ride for years. She has always been the stereotypical employee that lost vacation time because she did not use it. I have never operated that way; I always use all of my leave plus extra. Life is too short to go to work everyday and then go back home.
She even took her passport photo, but never filed her passport application. I knew that if she was going to go anywhere, I would have to take the initiative to plan it and force her to show up. My eyes had been on the National Museum of African American History and Culture since it opened, and I knew I just had to get there. It dawned on me that my mother would love the NMAAHC just as much as me. Why don’t we go together?
Now I’ve done road trips with my mother, and I hated it. I’ve done day trips with my mother, and I hated it. She is the worst person to travel with because she literally just shows up and hops in the car. She doesn’t give any thought to anything; she’s just tagging along. She never offers a suggestion until after the fact when she has the audacity to complain about how something was too long, or the food wasn’t good, or perhaps we should have done this instead. She doesn’t even offer to drive halfway, and refuses when I ask. No one wants to chauffeur anyone around for long distances, and find food, and find a place to stay. It’s exhausting to be totally relied upon!
