I Was Somewhere Else
On saying yes to what almost got left behind
I almost let this week go by without writing anything. Turns out I wasn't distracted — I was living the exact thing I write about.
It’s Friday, and I almost didn’t write this. Not because I didn’t want to … I was simply somewhere else.
I got back from a weekend away tired in that specific way where your body and mind are worn out and running somewhat on autopilot. When I turned toward editing the Field Guide, something in me settled — good, steady work, the kind that asks for your full attention and gives it back slowly. My energy started to return.
Today I looked at the calendar and realized: no post. Nothing. I’d forgotten entirely.
Except that’s not quite true. I hadn’t forgotten – I just hadn’t thought about it. I’d been somewhere else.
A couple of months ago, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party in Germany. I thought about it, then talked myself out of it. The world felt too unstable — floods and fires making headlines somewhere new every week, a political climate that has everyone a little more tense and guarded than usual. Travel itself felt harder to face too, the way it’s gotten heavier and less carefree these last few years. And everything just keeps getting more expensive. It felt easier to stay home and call it wisdom.
This week, that invitation turned into something real again, and this time I said yes.
And the second it became real, I dropped everything. Maps, flights, the reasons Iceland makes sense as a stopover, what our time together could look like. I wasn’t tired anymore. I was alive — the kind of alive where hours disappear and you don’t notice until you look up and it’s dark outside.
Somewhere in there, I said yes. Yes to a friend’s birthday party in Germany, yes to Iceland as a stopover, yes to Italy because why not, we were already crossing an ocean. Yes to adventure. Yes to quality time with my daughter. Yes to living, instead of just moving through the week.
I pondered if this was just the pull toward the next spark — a hit of stimulation wearing aliveness as a disguise. But the dopamine kind usually leaves you hungrier once it fades, and this isn’t that.
The last time we traveled together, I was the mom, in charge of the itinerary and the worry. This time, we’re going as equals — exploring new cultures, new food, new friends, side by side instead of one step ahead. This is a trip with my daughter who has a family and a full life of her own — time that doesn’t come easily anymore.
If this resonates and you'd like to follow along week to week, I send out a post every Sunday on Substack. Join me there.
Warmly,
Suzanne
