in the second round — a series roughly

In France, we wandered through charming neighborhoods, enjoying quiet moments in tiny cafes, savoring the simple joy of a fresh, buttery croissant. In, we strolled along the Seine, taking in the beauty of the city’s art, architecture, and culture while averaging mor ethan 20,000 steps a day. It was there that we truly understood the beauty of unhurried living—the way the French do it so effortlessly.

Not every moment went as planned. Take the time we misread the visa requirements for Vietnam and had to make a last-minute detour to Cambodia. We landed with no hotel, no itinerary, and absolutely no clue—yet somehow, we ended up at a charming boutique inn where the staff treated us like old friends. We visited Angkor Wat three days in a row, awestruck by its beauty. It turned into one of those happy surprises that made the journey all the more unforgettable.Turns out, the best memories aren’t the ones we plan. They’re the ones that catch us by surprise and remind us how adaptable—and deeply human—we all are.People often ask us what the hardest part is. It’s not the long flights, the unfamiliar languages, or even the money. It’s missing our people.

We left behind four daughters, nine grandkids, lifelong friends, and the comfort of a family and home we’d spent years building. We miss birthdays, soccer games, and dance recitals. We miss Sunday dinners, messy art projects, and bedtime giggles when babysitting the grandkids.Sometimes, the grief of that distance sneaks in quietly—over a blurry FaceTime call or an empty chair at the holiday table.

But what we’ve gained is something precious: presence.

Without the noise of a busy life, we listen better—to each other and to ourselves. Our mornings are slow and full of conversation. We’ve laughed more in the past two years than we did in the 10 before. We’ve argued less. We’ve marveled more.Many dispensaries, worried about their future, have urged the governor to veto the legislation. They have defended their industry as providing medical relief to people who cannot access medical marijuana through the state's restrictive program.

“It's absurd they think they can sign away 50,000 jobs,” Savannah Gavlik, an employee at Austin-based dispensary Dope Daughters, said. The store will likely have to close if the ban takes place, but the anxiety has not yet set in, she said.“One of the biggest things we provide is self care,” Gavlik said. “It’s people genuinely wanting medical relief.”

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.