When you think about how Covid hit without a lot of warning, it makes me think about who you have to hang with, stay in place with and ultimately quarantine with should it be necessary. We certainly weren’t prepared for the downfall of the world changing, but we were in it together from the beginning so we have been riding it out as best we can, all in, all together.

This doesn’t mean we are always in the same place emotionally. Sometimes you need the forced time to rewrite the script of coming together. If we had been bracing for a normal summer, we would have been a family divided by camps and practices and likely a dozen other interruptions. We have always carved out two weeks together for a family trip but this year feels both heavy and significant.

I continue to push myself to understand where my kids are in all of this. With so many unknowns on the horizon, I love that we are learning about the unpredictability of what happens next in our game drives. Sightings are not expected at the National parks. It’s a hope, an anticipation, a curiosity that fuels the drive but you cannot get your park pass money back if you see nothing. It’s a gamble. The time spent pursuing the outcome is worthy in and of itself. We hike big hikes and see big skies and if we stumble on something super special like a bear or moose, we count it as a gift. Being present is the present.

It’s been a great stretch at Rocky Mountain National Park and we climb in to bed exhausted in all of the best ways.