It’s imperative to be in the right state of mind.  If you think the destination is the goal…you’re screwed…if you think the timing is goal, guess what…Screwed!  Anything short of simply enjoying an adventure with your child is asking for the type of problems that cause most parents to stay home.

So here I am at Sandy’s Books and Bakery on route 100 in Vermont.  James Arthur and I are on an adventure to go see family up in Vermont.    We started out from the Farm at 12:30, dropped mommy off and took off for the North Country – as per usual Baby JA was asleep by 1:30 and my decision became do I wake him to eat (he hadn’t eaten since 10:30am) or is it best to let a sleeping baby lie (more on this later).  I decided to let him rest, that he would tell me when he was ready to eat…I also decided that if he didn’t tell me by the time we got to Warren, VT I would stop.  Sally and I have found out how important it is to stick to some type of schedule for feedings and rest.

So now I am on the side of the road at a charming little bookshop and bakery, munching on a mushroom an rice risotto burger as James Arthur growls his way through his bottle, a calabash bowl of banana awaiting his attention.

I had to fight my impulse a bit, not too much, to “Get there, get there, get there”.  After all we’re on the road, it’s cold out, it’s a lot of work to take him in and out of the car seat, get his food ready, diaper prepared, set up the feeding, get some space in an unfamiliar area etc etc etc…but you know what, this is how I want to raise him, this is how I want to spend time with him; not just getting from place to place, not just arriving and departing but living with him in the world

And so with that we move onward in our travels and stay right here amongst ourselves, a father and son.

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gnV?B √˜gg

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b’FGH

the above is James Arthur’s contribution