I came home the other day and found my neighbors packing the car for a family trip. Luggage trailer hitch and roof carrier were installed and filled with packed bags. Adam, who is 18 years old and has special needs was the only one in the car. We greeted each other and I asked if they were going on a family trip. He was all smiles and cheers and confirmed they were on their way. I told him he was lucky to be going on a trip. He replied in the affirmative and was visibly excited to get going.
I asked him where they were going and he said nothing. He just looked at me. Adam does have speech issues, but we normally communicate just fine. This was a simple question he should be able to understand and communicate back. I slowed down, enunciated my words, and asked him again where they were going. His response was again a blank stare with no verbal offering.
His Dad, Jimmy, appeared and I rehearsed to him my conversation with Adam. Jimmy told me that Adam did not respond, because he did not know where they were going. I thought, how cool is this! I love it when the parents plan a surprise trip somewhere and their kids figure it out when they pull into the Disneyland parking lot or wherever they were going.
Then Jimmy said, “WE don’t know where we’re going.” He could see the expression on my face needing some clarification. He said, “We are loading up the car and we’ll figure out where we’re going on the road.” I asked the kids and the wife and they all confirmed they had no plans. They were just going.
It was not Spring Break. It was not somebody’s birthday. The kids would miss school. Dad would miss work. They would all miss the usual commitments and activities of the week. Not only had I never done this, I have never seen anyone do it and was trying to wrap my head around it. And yet here they were, about to embark on a courageous family adventure. As spontaneous as it gets. They were going. Going man. Just going. And gone.
