Sep 17, 2026 · 1 hr · 10 segments
This was a very different piece for me to create. I wanted to create a story that captured some meaningful moments for me during our family's travels in Mexico. But, I wanted it to be more than just a…
I counted our passports 14 times between our hotel parking lot and the Mexican border.
This was a five mile drive, but I wanted to be sure.
I ignored my children's laughter.
They had no appreciation for my vigilance.
I'm not sure what I thought would happen to the passports on the five mile drive from our hotel to the border.
Perhaps I thought there were some sort of narco pixies that would fly in through our air conditioning vents, steal our passport, and run away to wherever they would enjoy my identity most.
But I counted them nonetheless.
We got to the border at 5 AM, because that is when all the Facebook groups told me to get there.
No one was there and we sailed through.
They didn't even ask to look at my passports.
And I fought the urge to stop the car and get out and wave my hand.
Look at me.
I could be a drug mule.
Don't you even want to know who I am? But I fought the urge and my children were grateful because now we had to deal with the travel permit office.
We were sitting around a campfire with friends.
The worst of the social isolation had ended from the COVID pandemic.
And we were talking about seeing the world a little since my husband was already working online.
And we had some good friends there, and one of his name was Mike.
And Mike said that he had a plan.
He was going to sell everything, buy a sailboat, and sail the seven seas.
It's important to note here that Mike was a retired naval nuclear submarine engineer.
meaning he had both lived on and in the ocean.
This was a big difference between ourselves and Mike.
But it didn't matter.
I counted our passports 14 times between our hotel parking lot and the Mexican border.
This was a five mile drive, but I wanted to be sure.
I ignored my children's laughter.
They had no appreciation for my vigilance.
I'm not sure what I thought would happen to the passports on the five mile drive from our hotel to the border.
Perhaps I thought there were some sort of narco pixies that would fly in through our air conditioning vents, steal our passport, and run away to wherever they would enjoy my identity most.
But I counted them nonetheless.
We got to the border at 5 AM, because that is when all the Facebook groups told me to get there.
No one was there and we sailed through.
They didn't even ask to look at my passports.
And I fought the urge to stop the car and get out and wave my hand.
Look at me.
I could be a drug mule.
Don't you even want to know who I am? But I fought the urge and my children were grateful because now we had to deal with the travel permit office.
We were sitting around a campfire with friends.
The worst of the social isolation had ended from the COVID pandemic.
And we were talking about seeing the world a little since my husband was already working online.
And we had some good friends there, and one of his name was Mike.
And Mike said that he had a plan.
He was going to sell everything, buy a sailboat, and sail the seven seas.
It's important to note here that Mike was a retired naval nuclear submarine engineer.
meaning he had both lived on and in the ocean.
This was a big difference between ourselves and Mike.
But it didn't matter.
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