“We need to go to D.C. this weekend.”
“Why?”
“Because my boss needs me to be at an important meeting with some clients.”
“Oh, When’s the meeting?”
“On Monday, but I thought we could make a weekend out of it and do some stuff on Saturday and Sunday and then I would have my meeting on Monday.”
“That kinda sounds like a nice time, but what will I do by myself while you’re in your meeting? You know I get seriously nervous when I have to go on an adventure by myself while you’re in a business meeting.”
“I know, but I have confidence in you and I know you can do it. You are going to go to your favorite memorial on Monday while I’m in my meeting and you are going to love it.”
“Well I’m glad you have more faith in me than I do!”
That is the conversation that my husband and I had two weeks ago. And that entire week I was nervous. That Friday we took our youngest to her aunt and uncles place so she could spend that weekend with them, and then we were off to Washington D.C. . For the most part it was a nice drive. Long but nice. We stopped at a hotel Friday night and finished our drive Saturday.
On Saturday we spent the day in D.C. . We went to some museums. We did a lot of walking. We had some rather tasty Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches from a food truck, while we sat on the grass on the mall. As we sat and ate our lunch my husband explained where the Capital was, where the Lincoln Memorial was and everything in between on that stretch of the mall. He told me it would be easy for me to walk to the Lincoln Memorial which is my absolute favorite memorial in D.C. .
On Sunday morning we tried to go to a Farmers Market, but it was rained out so we went for brunch at Barking Mad Cafe. I had brioche french toast with some fresh strawberries. That was a good brunch! I don’t remember what my husband had or I would tell you. After that we went to the Bible Museum. It was nice. I know we went shopping at an outlet mall, but I can’t remember if that was Saturday or Sunday. Sunday night we spent about an hour at a Christian concert on the mall in D.C. . When we got back to the airbnb we were staying at, we got all our stuff packed and ready to go the next morning. When we were ready to sleep I realized the next day was Monday and I had to be by myself for most of the day in D.C. . Man was I nervous!
So Monday morning came. We were running late so my husband took me to Peet’s coffee shop and got me settled with my coffee and croissant. He took off for his business meeting which left me to fend for myself. While I enjoyed my breakfast I finished my blog, got it published and promoted it. After that I looked through FaceBook and all the other social media sites. After about an hour I knew I need to stop stalling, get my courage up and go. So I left Peet’s and started to walk. I had a pretty good idea of where the mall was so I headed in that direction.
When I got to the mall I knew I still had a half hour before the Natural History Museum opened. I didn’t want to sit on a bench waiting all that time, so I looked at the map of the mall and noticed that it was a literal straight walk from where I was standing to the Lincoln Memorial. Once again I got my courage up, told myself I could do this and I walked to my favorite memorial in D.C., The Lincoln Memorial. It took me a half hour to walk to it. When I got there I walked up the steps and I stared at that monument. All I could think to myself was “I did it!” I walked to the Lincoln Memorial all by myself!
I stood there for a while. After a bit I went into the souvenir store, bought a couple of items and went to one of the steps and sat down. I stayed there for a good hour, looking at my phone, catching up on FaceBook and reading my book. When that hour was up I reluctantly took one last look at the memorial and head back towards the Natural History Museum. I’m not normally proud of myself, but that day I was. I faced my fears of doing something alone. I walked to my favorite memorial like my husband knew I could. I stayed for a while and went to a museum by myself. Not bad, huh?
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story