Missing Turns and Finding Our Way

By Martha Jackson

I spent a full week in July crisscrossing Delaware and Maryland with my teenage son, Blake, for back-to-back lacrosse tournaments.

I realized something: This trip was never about getting everything exactly right. It was about being present.

I missed so many turns that Blake gently offered to take over navigation. We laughed, rerouted, and somehow always found our way back to where we needed to be.

Junior year is often painted as the “big” one — decisions, deadlines, and dreams that feel like they define everything. Blake started 11th grade this fall, and the pressure is real. But this trip reminded me that even when you miss the obvious path, you’re not lost forever. The key is to slow down, trust the recalculating voice (whether it’

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