Volunteering. I have always volunteered. Even when I was a stay-at-home mom, I would volunteer while my son was at school. I used to meet once a week with women to help them study for their GED, I’ve lended a hand at local hospice, and now I’m going Malawi to volunteer with the Peace Corps. It has always made me feel good about myself. My son, Ryan. I love being so involved in what he does. We talk almost every day. For Christmas he gave me the best gift: a book of photos of him at school, and then a video. It started off serious, him showing me what the school looked like, and then transitioned into stupid college life stuff, like him at a party. I love that, at 28, he’s comfortable sharing all of that with me. That’s pretty special for a mother-son relationship. Vacations with girlfriends. That’s huge for me. We do it really indulgent—all-inclusive, we even had a butler last time. We get our own rooms so we can have our alone time, but I love the company of women my own age for the beach or dinner or whatever. Being on the beach. I will end up living on or closet to the beach one day. I don’t know if it’s the sand or the water, but it’s my favorite place to be and it makes me so happy. Monthly spa rituals. Since I’m leaving for Malawi, I’ve bumped these rituals up to every two weeks! I see an esthetician and a masseuse, and I feel completely relaxed for the rest of the evening—not just for that hour or so. It’s like my little cleanse. You just have a different mindset after something like that! At least, I do.
