“Oh! We’re going to be late!” I say as I grab the lunches on the counter. I throw one into Danielle’s bag and the other into mine. “Here take this,” I say as I hand over her backpack. I whip around the kitchen island and push the last corner of toast into my mouth.  Making my way out of the kitchen, I turn and look at her calmly sitting at the table. I tap my finger on my watch and back out of the room as she smiles back at me.

“Alright, Mom. I’m coming,” she calls. “But we’re not even that late, you know!”

We grab our jackets and head out the door. Once in the car, I explain, “I know we’re not really running late, but I really need to get in early today to finish up a few things before noon. I’ve got a lot of things to go over.”

“Okay, I get it,” she says. “It’s just that you seem like you’re always in a rush lately. You should try to take it slow when you can.” She tilts her head to the left to look at me before saying, “Just go slow and enjoy the journey – whether you’re eating, talking, driving or spending time with family. You’ve got to try enjoying the things around you instead of rushing past them.”

“Just go slow and enjoy the journey,” I repeat as I pull out of the driveway. “I like that. You always have the best mantras at the right times.” I look over and give her a smile. 

She’s only fifteen and I find myself feeling inspired by the things I hear her say every day. I think she has something going on with her mantras. We’ve got our entire home filled with her positive sayings hung up on the walls. It’s a great thing to wake up to. Everyone needs a little encouragement sometimes, and I can always count on her for that. 

It sounds cliche, but Danielle really brings out the best in me. Her positivity is one of her best characteristics and it’s what I love most about her. 

We’ve made it to the weekend, and I ask Danielle to join me for a walk around the park. The weather is perfect. It’s fairly early, but the warmth of the sun has us feeling wide awake and full of energy. We walk side-by-side down the path and take in the cool air and green trees. 

“It’s so nice out today,” Danielle says. “What should we do later?”

The cool breeze feels nice paired with the warm sunlight. It’d be nice to be able to do this all the time – to just be in each other’s company. I’m lost in thought when she double taps my arm with her left elbow. 

“Mom, you there?” She says. “Earth to Mom!” She smirks. “What are you thinking about?”

My mind comes back to reality and I turn my head. In the background, I can see a squirrel bounding across the grass as we continue walking. 

Smiling, I look at her and say, “You know, I’ve been with this skincare company for the last nine years. It’s a great job, really. But I’ve had this idea brewing in my head for a while.”

“Yea?” She encourages. 

“Well, what if I said that I want to go slow and enjoy the journey,” I reply. “But I want to be able to do all of that with someone special —  you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what can we do together?” I say. “What can we start that you and I like?” 

“Do you mean we should start our own business together?” she asked. Her eyes were as wide as her smile. I could tell she loved the idea. We’d be able to spend more time together, doing something we love. Who wouldn’t want that?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about,” I reply. “It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while now, but I need your help coming up with some ideas.”

“Wow, that’s great. If that’s been a dream of yours, you should definitely go for it,” she says. “And with a little bit of my help, I’m sure it would be a successful business!”

We both look at one another and share a good laugh. 

“Oh, I know,” she says excitedly. “What about something with sheet masks? They’re everything right now. All my friends and all the other high schoolers love them. Maybe we can do something with that!”

I stop for a minute and face her. “We should start a sheet mask company!” I say, returning her excitement. 

It’s a great idea. Sheet masks are a popular product for anyone who wants a skincare regimen upgrade. We have my experience working in the industry and her positivity and ideas. We can make this work.

After a long walk and lively conversation, we had a plan going. I know someone, Hal Simeroth, who can be our formulator. We’ll use high-quality ingredients, have high-quality masks and make it available and affordable for everyone.

“Wow, we’ve really done it,” I say to Danielle. “These masks look fantastic.” We hold up and examine the packaged masks on the kitchen countertop. “It took us a while, but here we are. All-natural ingredients for a high-quality product. And the mantras printed on each mask give it a great touch. You did a wonderful job writing all these quotes and designing the labels.”

Danielle looked at the mask and read, “Mantra Mask.”

“Because you bring out the inner beauty in everyone,” I say. “I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect name.”

“Thanks, mom,” she replies. “Yea, these are pretty great. I think the best part, though, is how each one has 24 grams of CBD serum in it. Who would have thought we’d be putting that in our masks?” She laughed.

“It’s a popular, natural ingredient and people swear by its beneficial properties,” I say. “It just makes sense to add it to our skincare routine, doesn’t it?” I pick up the mask labeled “Hemp CBD Anti-Aging” and tear off the top. “Leave it on for twenty minutes,” I say as I smooth it on to my face. “You want to join me?”

Danielle picks up the “Hemp CBD After Sun” mask and follows my lead. 

We’ve come a long way from our days of rushing through life. It all started with an idea, her encouragement and a lot of positive mantras. Now we’re able to go slow and enjoy the journey. And I hope we can continue to do so.