It’s a weird thing, this constant push-pull in my heart to fly away and stay settled. Part of me longs for the road, but another part wants to sit with the dog (Daisy) and the cat (Lily) in my garden. So here I am, preparing for my trip to Japan, emailing with contacts in various cities to set up interviews and hotel reservations, and my son is being whisked off to Germany today.

Wait–how did that happen? How did my 19-year-old child get a flight to Frankfurt without any effort on my part? Bizarre as it may seem, he earned it by playing video games. This kid who grew up watching me code websites, sell on eBay and Etsy, blog, and make friends with people all over the world online naturally decided that the digital life was pretty good and he had a place in it. He’s been gaming for years, often several hours a day, even when he had a regular job. Now it’s paying off as his team is going to Germany to compete as the top-ranked North American team in his league against the top European league teams.

He and I both love to travel but spend the majority of our time safely tucked away at home. We discuss philosophy, history, religion, politics, and other topics on car rides or over a meal we’ve cooked together in the kitchen. We are accustomed to having small animals underfoot (ferrets when he was younger, cats and dogs now) and each have our own “familiar” who follows us around.

If you’ve ordered from my shop in the past few weeks, he probably packed your order. The kid is growing up and taking part in the family business, and he’s pretty good at it, too.

In short, I’m proud of him. He’s chosen a path that most wouldn’t follow, not unlike his mom. He’s moving towards an exciting goal and I’m curious to see where it takes him. So with a few prayers to various and assorted deities, I will send him on his way and hope for his safe and happy return. As we parents do. Wistfully, worriedly, lovingly.