Are We There Yet?

Road trips are common in our family. Living in central Iowa, we can visit many large cities—Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Milwaukee—with less than a five-hour drive. Weekend trips, minivacations, sporting events, and dance competitions are uncomplicated because travel is easy, and our children are familiar with the distance and have stamina for the drive.

Although we enjoy our Midwest surroundings, we also enjoy visiting more distant destinations when we have more time. And, even though the destination is farther and takes longer, we often still choose to drive. These longer drives can challenge our stamina and often trigger the infamous question “Are we there yet?” This question is followed with statements such as “I’m bored” or “I’m tired” or “I’m hungry.” Our stamina wanes, and we struggle a bit to continue, but we always do. We push through and get to our end point, and our memories include landmarks visited, distance traveled, and the many stories told on the drive. We have fond memories. Every. Single. Time.

Our school year is often the same way. We start off raring to go, with a destination far ahead and a map to get us there. On the journey we sometimes struggle. We get hungry, tired, and sometimes ask, “Are we there yet?” Our stamina wanes. And . . . we push through and get there. We always do. Many of us are there now. We have wrapped up our year or are coming to our end point. Let us make sure we don’t get so wrapped up in the excitement of making it to the end that we forget to look back on the trip fondly. Let us remember the fun, hard work, laughter, and learning that took place during the year.

And, much like when we drive a far distance in the car, when we look back on the growth and the milestones throughout the school year, we too can say, “That was worth it” and start planning our trip for next year.