Almost Home

We were driving back to our home in New Jersey last night, visiting with family in Long Island to celebrate our niece’s Christmas Day birthday, when my mind drifted back to my childhood. My memory took me back to my dad’s light blue Oldsmobile Omega (that ultimately became my first car) or my mom’s Chevrolet station wagon where I was stuck in the back seat with my two sisters on the way home from our holiday trips.

We were driving back to our home in New Jersey last night, visiting with family in Long Island to celebrate our niece’s Christmas Day birthday, when my mind drifted back to my childhood. My memory took me back to my dad’s light blue Oldsmobile Omega (that ultimately became my first car) or my mom’s Chevrolet station wagon where I was stuck in the back seat with my two sisters on the way home from our holiday trips.

Not afforded the luxury of movies in the car, Walkman’s, iPhones or any other more modern “kidstraction” tools, those rides took foreverrrrrrrr, even if they were only an hour-and-a-half at max. They were even tougher when we came home late, when excitement blended into exhaustion-filled head bobs that rarely turned into a peaceful sleep.

I would have my highway markers that told me we were getting closer to home, like the golf course in Clinton, NJ, or the Willowbrook Mall on the way back from New York. But nothing meant more than my mom or dad saying, “we are almost home.” It was like a shot of adrenaline that I needed to get through those few last miles and get into my bed.

I thought of this last night because our youngest son Michael got tired. And even though he had his iPod touch and listened to music on the radio, he still wanted to get home. That’s what brought me back! He was me! He just wanted to see his dog and go to sleep.

I knew how much “we are almost home” would mean to him. But when do I say it? 30, 20, 15 or 10 minutes out? I decided on about 10 minutes when we hit the familiar strip of stores on Route 22. Just as I had done many, many years earlier, he perked up – in a relaxed way – because he knew he only had to hang on a few more minutes.

And when we hit the driveway, he gave the same sigh of relief I always did. We were home!

Image courtesy of Flickr user sudoking

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.

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2 Comments

  1. Almost Home | Donna Dagley's Blog
    December 27, 2013

    […] post Almost Home appeared first on Coldwell Banker Blue […]

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  2. Almost Home | Earl Forbes Blog
    December 27, 2013

    […] post Almost Home appeared first on Coldwell Banker Blue […]

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