When I was 12, I picked up a book near my mom's art stand. It was Adelle Davis's "Let's Get Well." My mom was big into healthy food and yoga, so finding random art and health books across the house was not unusual. My mom also had a big record collection, so listening to or taking a peek at what she was consuming made me feel close to her in some way.

As my daughter embarks on her solo adventure to Cartagena, Columbia, after free diving in Utila, a small island off Honduras, I can't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions as a proud but nervous mama. Her fearless spirit and thirst for exploration mirror my journey of self-discovery that began in 2019. With my youngest off to college that same year, I boldly decided to leave behind a decade of familiarity in search of the one that got away. Little did I know that