Much like money is energy, social wealth is energy, too.

Launching anything on your own can feel hard, so I find the path of least resistance is to collaborate. I wanted to organize a private family fun day, so I sent a message out to a few moms in the locale asking if anyone wanted to help. I got a message back from one mom saying, “Yes, let’s meet for a coffee to make a plan.”

Within a few days we met and decided on a location that was familiar to our kiddos and had washrooms. We looked at the weather and decided on the warmest day—less than a week away. Regarding what to bring, we decided on lawn bowls, garden games, frisbee and a ball. We would bring a few extra snacks and drinks and as many chairs as we could get our hands on.

We each sent a few messages and voilà—we created a private family fun day—with six families joining us over three hours.

We played lawn bowling and frisbee with the children when we first arrived, then they warmed up and we barely heard from them for the second half, enabling us to connect deeply with some of the wonderful families we kept meaning to do something with but never have.

I didn’t put this event on to get anything back—I needed this, just as much as the other families who came. It was fun and therapeutic, and we all went home feeling lighter and fulfilled.

Two days later, I got a call from one of the moms who attended: “Would I like a box ticket to see Bush in concert that night?” “Ummmmmmm, yes please!” And so, I went and had the time of my life, singing and dancing along with five moms and Gavin Rossdale (a few extra folks who were also there).

Would I have gotten this invite if I hadn’t put on the family fun day? Maybe, but the friend who invited me, is well connected and in demand, she has many mom friends that she could have invited, and I am still relatively new in town.

I know that organizing events can feel hard, when we are juggling all the things, but if you have an impulse, I encourage you to act! See if someone else wants to help, pick a date, location, decide what to bring and trust that it will all come together—easy peasy!

Joining my daughter’s Embers Unit as a Girl Guide leader in September 2024 is something I have considered for a while. However, I wondered if I could find the time and energy to do the role justice.

While I was interviewing Seth Kaplan on my podcast “Rediscovering Connection,” he explained the value of volunteering to build trust and connection in your community, and to build diversity into our circles of connection. As a British expat here in Victoria, what he said aligned with my values and I felt it was important to pursue.

What I didn’t expect was an education on the art of play!

Every week at Girl Guides, we take turns leading the session, after the Junior Leaders opening games—like octopus and colour tag—and the opening circle. Seeing the girls respond to suggestions of play, and watching play naturally evolve, has been such a blessing. And being asked to instigate playful and engaging activities feels like an important skill to nurture, as a mom of two.

It is helping me set the stage at home. To suggest new games for us to play and to instigate playful activities when they have playdates. This really hit home when attending a fifth birthday party recently. There were no games, the children were simply left to it. Without judgement, I found myself being curious about the importance of structured play. Our little ones are often left wondering how to entertain themselves, so occasionally setting them up for play can help them find their way to joy with ease.

Inspiring Play Beyond the Screen

It can also be valuable to lead your kids towards success with an item or activity that allows them to play by themselves and take their imagination and creativity to a whole new level.

My eight-year-old has been asking for a device for six months and I am not ready to face this level of parenting battles yet. Instead, we decided to go back in time, and gave her a boombox CD player for Christmas. I used to love mine growing up, and want to encourage her love of music, without screens. Her excitement was unreal. This has led her to instigate dance parties, balloon parties and she has even taken initiative and fled to her room to listen to music when family life becomes overwhelming. A way for her to regulate, without intervention.

Seeing my daughter explore this new interest made me realize that finding a balance between structured play, playdates, family time, screens and solo time is a topic I should be bringing to my daughter’s Embers Unit. If my family is dealing with this, they probably are as well.

If you feel called to volunteer or to learn how to instigate structured play with your littles, why not consider Girl Guides, Scouts or even coaching your child’s sports team? In my experience, my girl loves having me there and I love seeing her play with her friends and witnessing a side to her that we don’t see at home.

What are you waiting for? Get out and play together!

Before finalizing our first US road trip, I invited my friend Kay to join me for a coffee. She’s a road-trip pro, so I knew she would be the best person to speak to. Kay helped me to see that however crazy this trip looked on paper, it was possible. And the road-trip was likely to bring us closer together as a family unit.

Leading up to our road trip, (Langford BC to Utah—1,600 kms each way) I found myself mentioning it to almost everyone I met, bringing to light happy memories of long road trips that kind strangers had once taken. They only had good things to say about their adventures and seemed excited and in awe of what we were about to embark on.

Pushing the Limits

Travel time was around 16 hours each way (or 26 hours with regular breaks).

We escaped the island via the Coho Ferry from Downtown Victoria to Port Angeles, a surprisingly affordable and stress-free passage, to and from the US (as British citizens).

We travelled southeast across Washington towards Yakima. Climbing high up into the snowy mountains, and surprisingly staying up at this elevation for what felt like hours.

The journey pushed us to our limits. Seeing the “Welcome to Oregon” sign was very welcome—Washington is vast! We planned to stop for a couple of hours somewhere in Baker County. And when we did, the children woke up, wriggly, wanting hugs.

An hour or so after stopping, the temperature dropped considerably, our teeth were chattering. We decided to press on.

Welcome to Utah

Boise was our intro to Idaho, and as soon as we passed this metropolis, the traffic vanished and I was able to enjoy the quiet open roads, with three sleeping passengers… heaven!

Seeing the “Welcome to Utah” sign was emotional. I couldn’t believe that we had almost done it! Just an hour or so away from reuniting with my brother and family for some quality time together.

After a nourishing three days of parks, bike pump tracks, water balloons and BBQs, we began our homeward journey, taking a different route home, through Oregon—towards Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA. This extended our travel time quite a bit but descending towards the Columbia River with the sun setting in Oregon was breathtaking.

We took more regular breaks on the return journey, every one to one-and-a-half hours during daylight hours. And it wasn’t until the light faded that I felt some anxiety. I used breathing exercises and meditation to help me regulate, including affirmations “I am safe, I am loved, all is well”—it wasn’t always easy, but this helped.

Service station coffee was surprisingly sublime, and a couple of McDonalds along the way had Play Places, which were fantastic for our wriggly littles.

Things to Consider

We had a great time and learned a lot on our adventure. Here are some tips for how to prepare for your big summer road trip:

• Service your vehicle. Make sure you stop into a garage before you leave. Have a mechanic check your vehicle over and change your oil if needed. They can also offer valuable advice, such as how to eject your spare tire if you need it.

• With young children, break the journey into one-to-two-hour segments. When our children would ask “How much longer?” We’d say, “Just another 45 minutes until we have a break.” Imagine saying 12 hours!

• Consider downloading an app such as the Playground Buddy App, which helps you to find playgrounds—anywhere in North America. (Thanks to Kay for this tip!)

• Research awe-inspiring stops that are worth detouring for. Shoshone Falls in Idaho was spectacular. It was a 30-minute detour, and a memorable highlight of our return trip.

• Aim to fill up with gas when you get to 50 percent full.

• Consider who you want to share your journey with. I shared our plans with 12 to 15 close connections. Giving them the opportunity to feel like they were with us on the journey.

On our return, I shared photos and audio notes with our family WhatsApp group and my close connections. I plan to host a live virtual event for friends and family who want to hear more about our adventure and will print and send photos and letters via mail, during the month of May. I will share it with my wider connections via social media once I have caught my breath!

As someone passionate about social and digital health, I urge you to be mindful that close connections appreciate hearing from you directly, not only through social media.