On the road with Mom

The city of San Francisco, was the main appeal for me. The scenic countryside of California was the main appeal for her.

One of the greatest travel experiences I can recall was a road trip with my mother in the spring of 2008. We covered two states (California and Oregon), yet still managed to see a multitude of spectacular sights, including Sequoia National Forest, the Oregon coast and Mount Shasta, among others. However, what really stands out is the time we spent together.

She spent a lot of money in paying for her plane ticket to get out to the West Coast and covered all of the expenses of the trip, which ranged from our rental car, gas, lodging, food to developing an absurd number of photos I snapped during the trip.

The cruel irony is the rental car policy stipulated only she was allowed to drive the car, which made it impossible for her to have a chance to enjoy a sip or two of wine country.

We still managed to enjoy the trip.

The primary challenge in San Francisco rested on the fact that parking is expensive and walking the city can be difficult with hills requiring the leg muscles of a gymnast. My long legs made it up and down the vertiginous inclines and declines. The task proved more challenging for my mom. I feel certain the challenge will be just as real for me in a few decades.

She returned to the hotel room exhausted from a full day of walking throughout the city. Disappointed, I wondered what we were missing out on, failing to realize a vacation should include downtime to savor the experience.

After striking out on my own, this realization struck me and I returned to the hotel room, enjoyed Middle Eastern cuisine, and relaxed to an episode of the television show Frasier, while my mother rested.

Thankfully, it occurred to me to slow down the following day and we savored our time.

The barista at a coffee shop downtown we visited the next morning told me I should pick up the tab for Mom, not the other way around.

I now realize he was right, which helps illustrate one of the shifts in adult perspective.

As a child, parents' sacrifices do not go unnoticed but often go unacknowledged. In adulthood, acts of kindness and love gain greater significance. Certain matters gain clarity through experience. For instance, a son or daughter eventually becomes a parent. All the challenges of parenthood come into focus when experienced firsthand. Often, the son or daughter who grumbled earlier in life now asks for advice from grandma or grandpa.

Having worked hard for a paycheck, an adult understands the financial sacrifices of their parents.

If you are fortunate enough to still have a mother, offer to pick up the tab.

And if you plan take her to San Francisco, don't skip leg day at the gym.

Happy belated Mother's Day to my own and to all our reader Moms out there.