Last year, my oldest booked a solo trip to the 2024 US Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin. Out of the blue. No planning. No family coordination. She just decided to go.
My wife listened to Maddie talk about the trip and her plans and I could see the fear in my wife’s eyes. She practically begged me to go with our daughter.
If I must!
I’m such a giver.
We both love F1, but this trip wasn’t on my radar. It wasn’t a bucket list event. It was just a chance. And we took it.
We drove 18 hours each way from Michigan to Text. No flights. Just time in the car. Hours of conversation about life, careers, relationships, and everything else that never fits into a regular schedule. That kind of time doesn’t happen often, especially when your kid is 22 and starting to build their own life.
Turn 1 at COTA ended up being perfect. Steep. Tight. Loud. The kind of corner where the whole field bottlenecks and anything can happen. We camped out there all day. Felt the engines shake the ground. Watched every lap. After the race, we walked the track and stood at the finish line.
But the moment that stuck with me, the one I still picture, is the look on Maddie’s face when the race started. Pure joy.
I don’t know if I’ll get another trip like that with her. Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. But I’m glad I didn’t miss this one.
Sometimes the best memories come from the things you never plan.