By Martha Jackson
I spent a full week in July crisscrossing Delaware and Maryland with my teenage son, Blake, for back-to-back lacrosse tournaments.
I realized something: This trip was never about getting everything exactly right. It was about being present.
I missed so many turns that Blake gently offered to take over navigation. We laughed, rerouted, and somehow always found our way back to where we needed to be.
Junior year is often painted as the “big” one — decisions, deadlines, and dreams that feel like they define everything. Blake started 11th grade this fall, and the pressure is real. But this trip reminded me that even when you miss the obvious path, you’re not lost forever. The key is to slow down, trust the recalculating voice (whether it’s Google Maps or your gut), and keep moving forward.
What matters most isn’t taking the perfect route — it’s knowing how to course-correct and being surrounded by the kind of people who never doubt you’ll make it.
This trip gave me something I didn’t realize I was craving — distraction-free time with Blake. No rushing from school to practice, no emails to check, no deadlines to meet. Just long drives, seafood feasts, sideline chats, and real conversations about life, the future, and everything in between. It felt like a pause button I didn’t know we needed.
I started thinking: How often do we miss turns in life? The job we didn’t take. The conversation we postponed. The detour we didn’t see coming. But most of the time, if we take a breath and recenter, we land exactly where we need to be. Sometimes even with a better view.
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So, here’s to the detours, the dinners, and the moments that slow us down.
Junior year may be a big one, but we’re taking it one mile — and one day — at a time.
Martha Jackson, host of The Bubble Lounge Podcast, has lived in University Park for 20 years. She’s passionate about connecting with fellow moms, supporting local businesses, and finding humor in the chaos.
