Mamas, if you are like me, you don’t easily believe people when they say it is ok to leave your kids for a while (if they are in good hands, of course). Well, I did it.
I went to Europe for a three week teaching tour while Mila stayed with her Grandparents on the east coast. She had tons of playtime with her five cousins and many more family and friends. It was great for me and for her.
As we live in Oregon, Mila does not get a lot of opportunity to spend time with our family on the east coast. Since we don’t have family in Oregon, I get very little time to myself in my day to day life.
While in Europe, I had the chance to remember parts of myself that I had lost touch with: my love for adventure, my passion for teaching yoga in foreign lands and to people of different cultures, the joy of making new friends. I especially enjoyed connecting with other mama yoginis on this trip, allowing conversation to move to those very real places of how to merge the paths of motherhood and yoga.
I facetimed or skyped with Mila every day. My parents sent me pictures. She was having a ball. At three and a half years old, Mila is confident, secure and a very happy child. I still came close to canceling the tour before I left, feeling unsure about leaving her for so long.
Even after all the Skype sessions, I had no idea how Mila would react to me when I returned. I was nervous. Maybe she will be upset with me. Maybe that incredible closeness that we share will have been lost. Maybe I will regret the whole trip.
The moment I saw Mila at the airport, she ran to me with such excitement and joy. “Mama, mama,” she burst out with pure delight and love. We embraced, we hugged, inseparable, like before.
Since I’ve been back from my trip, it feels like we were never apart. The lesson I learned: When the bond is deep, you feel the truth: Time and Space do not exist.