Blue Wings of Freedom

We called it the Blue M&M, years later the name changed to Snorlax.

(I even had this sticker on my car)

It was a tiny blue Geo Metro that fit 3 children and two adults quite snug; however it fit a family of 4 just right.

One mom and three kids.

That was all we needed, room for 4 of us to travel around town; to school, to the museum or the zoo on free day. However, my favorite trips were the long ones.

Sometimes I would take all three of my kids and other times I would go alone. I’d get the car ready the week before, vacuumed, scrubbed and check the engine. Then the packing would begin, enough for bedding, clothes and some snacks because the money I had was just enough for fuel to get there and back.

Then we’d drive. 12-14 hours from my home in Colorado to my destination somewhere in Texas. Listening to music, singing, laughing, telling stories or making up new games on the road, it was something we did every few months.

My mother and father would fret the entire trip; we didn’t have cell phones or GPS tracking, just the knowledge of when I left and when they thought I’d be there. It was one of the times I felt most free in my life. No one was there to “save” me if I got into trouble. I did it all on my own.

It was the beginning of finding my new “normal”. Finding a way to do it on my own, finding a way to create memories with my kids and forced me to have the wings that everyone talks about when you find the ultimate freedom.

Blue wings… in the shape of a little blue chariot.