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Staying connected ... half a world away

It has been 14 long days since I've hugged or kissed my children, by far the longest I have ever been away from them. In truth, a part of me has been dreading this trip for months.

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Staying connected ... half a world away

It has been 14 long days since I’ve hugged or kissed my children, by far the longest I have ever been away from them. In truth, a part of me has been dreading this trip for months. Not the adventure, or the work,  but the time away from my family. My family is my world, and even a single day that goes by without hugging or kissing their sweet little cheeks is almost physically painful. To think of 26 days without them ...it is almost impossible.

Upon arriving in South Korea, I find many other members of the media are in my same boat. We stand on the sidelines of the Olympic games, and trade pictures and stories of our kids. We celebrate each other’s childrens’ birthdays, lost teeth, broken fevers and school trophies. We listen with rapt attention to each other’s stories, because we know it means the world when they listen to ours.

A new friend put it best. He is a reporter for the NBC TV station in Indianapolis, and is my neighbor in our temporary workspace here in Gangneung. We exchange story ideas daily … and we talk about our kids. We trade sweet pictures of them, and funny stories. He told me on day 1: “Think of it like you are treading water. Don’t even think about the rescue boat yet. Just tread water, put your head down, and work hard. Don’t think about the lifeboat. By day 24, you can start thinking about the lifeboat.”

The more I think about his words, and the longer I am here, the more they ring true. Before I came on this trip, I could not imagine being away from my family for so long. Yet, here I am, 14 days in and – miraculously – we are all surviving.

While I miss my family every day – so much it hurts when I really think about it – I am choosing to look at the time as a gift. A gift for my children to be able to bond with their daddy in a way they never have before, because I’ve always been there. A gift for my children to bond with my mom, their “Nana” – who is in for a few weeks to help (and who, by the way, AMAZING!!!). A gift for my children to learn to do some things on their own, because I’m not there every second. A gift for me to have a little time away from the day to day grind – so when I return, I don’t take the laundry, dirty dishes, or kisses to heal skinned knee for granted. And – truth be told -- it is also a gift for me, professionally, to be able to focus on my work, without the daily distractions of home. With three young children and a house to run, I don’t often have that luxury these days.

Thank goodness for technology, which enables us to Facetime, talk and text frequently. In fact, my 6-year-old son says he’s talked to me more since I’ve been gone than he does when I’m home (and I’m not sure he was saying that in a good way!)! Thank goodness for incredible friends who have not hesitated to step in and pinch hit for me.

So – instead of focusing on the pain of being away, I choose to focus on the gifts it can bring about. I choose to be grateful for every moment we CAN connect. And grateful that I’m able connect with other parents who feel exactly the same as I do. I don’t need the lifeboat yet. My kids are doing great, and so am I. But come February 27th, I’m going to hop on board, and hug my family harder than I ever have in my life!

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