Bright Lights, Big City

Theo waking up to the Windy City on his sixth birthday. Photo by Amy Rauch Neilson.

Theo woke up on the morning of his sixth birthday, August 22, 2011, threw open the heavy room darkening curtains and the whisper light sheers behind them, and peered out the window in awe and amazement.

Twenty-three floors below, the city of Chicago was wide awake and had been for hours. Tourists and city dwellers alike were bustling to and from their destinations. As for us, we, too, had things to do, places to go, and yes — even people  to see!

Our plans for Theo’s birthday were to find an awesome breakfast spot, hop on a water taxi and spend the day at the Navy Pier. Check, check and CHECK! We learned of a breakfast place just a few blocks from our hotel called The Yolk. I LOVED it — from the bright, mustard-colored decor to the outside terrace where we were seated, and yes, of course, the MENU! Think cinnamon roll french toast with a side of fresh blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. I also had the best glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice of my life — so good I ordered a second! And I’m not even a big fan of orange juice.

Pure heaven.

Next, it was off to the riverfront a few blocks away to catch the water taxi. How cool that in Chicago, you can travel by foot, car, traditional taxi, or water taxi!  Theo wanted to sit on the top deck of the boat, where the summer breeze rippled through our hair and the sun warmed our faces.

We got off at the first stop and began wandering the Navy Pier. There’s the famous Ferris Wheel — which I happily rode by myself, as both Don and Theo are wary of heights. A miniature golf course on which each of us had a hole-in-one! The Children’s Museum and Store, where Theo spent his birthday money.

Though I have had the privilege of traveling across a good part of the globe, Don and Theo are newbies. Neither of them had ever been to Chicago. For Don, the biggest city he’d ever seen was L.A., many years ago, when he was there on business, not pleasure. He spent most of his time in buildings, rather than outside, taking in their enormity and majesty. So, truly, they were both new to Big City Life.

But why the quest to share places near and far with my family? Couldn’t we accomplish many of the same goals closer to home?

Yes. And no.

Yes, because we live in a beautiful place where opportunities to embark on an adventure and enjoy family time together abound. And we consciously take advantage of that on a regular basis, be it a trip to the Cider Mill, a boat ride, a board game on the family room floor.

No, because there’s nothing like being away from home and the daily responsibilities and distractions of dishes, laundry, pet care, and discovering, together, all this wondrous planet has to offer. That’s how I grew up, and it’s what I want to share with both Don and Theo.

Some of the best memories are the times I traveled with my family when I was growing up — my parents and my sisters, Julie and Lisa. We saw the Grand Canyon, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (I still have a piece of black lava from that trip), New York’s Central Park from a horse-drawn carriage, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

But perhaps just as important as the what we saw is the why we saw it.

My Mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer in May 1973, when I was four years old. My Dad, who, along with two of his brothers, owned Rauch Brothers Paving Co., often worked long hours in his quest to make our family’s life easier than the one he’d experienced alongside 11 brothers and sisters in the years following the Great Depression.

There was nothing more important in the world to my Dad than his family. And so, when my Mom was diagnosed, he took a serious look at the long hours of work he put in to build his company. Then, one day, he sat us down and told us this: No matter what,  from this day forward, we are going to take at least one family vacation a year, every year, no exceptions.

And we did.

That’s been my philosophy and my intention for my own family, even before my first breast cancer diagnosis of Stage 1 in March 2006. After that diagnosis, it became even more imperative to me. And I’m sure I don’t need to point out how the news of my recurrence this past January accelerated my desire.

I have the desire to share the wonders of the world with my family, sans the panic of doing it just because I’m currently undergoing breast cancer treatment. I believe from the very core of my being that God has work for me to do on this planet, that I’m going to go into remission, and that I’m going to be here for a long time to come.

Still. Time passes quickly, and if we don’t set intentional goals for ourselves, too often, we look back and see the missed opportunities. Our goals for ourselves, for our families, have to be intentional and conscious.

When Theo was born, Don and I decided that every year, at the very least, we would plan a family get-away. Now that he is in school, our tradition is to plan at least three nights away together as a family in the weeks before the first school bell rings.

Some of the people in our lives asked us why we would do such a crazy thing — travel to Chicago the day after Theo’s big birthday bash — with my cancer diagnosis and tough chemo regimen. I think it’s also safe to say that though others may not have articulated it, it was on their mind. Why now? Is it safe for Amy’s health? Isn’t it just going to wear her out? Can you really afford to be off galavanting in another city, with the financial responsibilities of medical bills on top of Amy’s reduced ability to work?

The real question is: Can we afford not to?

My Dad, although a good steward of our family’s finances, also used to say that you can always make more money. But time spent and experiences together — those are priceless.

Indeed.

Copyright 2011, Amy Rauch Neilson