As both
Misha and Keely mentioned in their posts in the past few weeks, most of the
members of the R8 have picked a journey to explore and write about here on the R8
blog. This journey is one that we’re each currently dealing with on a personal
level. So we’ve thought it might be a good idea to share those journeys with
you in the hopes that we can learn from each other as we continue down the path
that we’ve chosen or that has chosen us.
The journey
I find myself in the midst of is the Emptying Nest. Not empty nest yet, because
I’ve got one son entering his senior year in high school and one who is
entering his sophomore year in high school. But I’ve realized, as my oldest is
now beginning his second year in college--and as that middle child prepares for
leaving for college in a little over a year--that I’m struggling more than I
thought I ever would with this phase.
You see, I’ve
always been that woman who coached her college friends to make sure they had a
hobby now, before their kids left home, otherwise they’d be lost when the time
came. Well, I don’t have a hobby, I have a third profession--I’m an author,
besides being a mother and holding down a job for another company--and I’m here
to tell you, despite having my own interests, I’m feeling a little lost some
days because I’ve realized my time as a full-time mom is finite.
Yes, I know,
intellectually, I’ll always be a full-time mom, however, in reality, my boys
are beginning to need me less. They’ll be home less. They’ll live somewhere
else--maybe even hundreds of miles away from me. I’ll see them and interact
with them less than I have for the past nineteen years. And while I’ve never
been a mom whose whole life has been centered on my kids and their activities,
I still find my axis shifting. The core of who I’ve been over the past almost
twenty years is softening, dissolving, and becoming something different. Not a
bad thing. However, I’m finding this transition is a hard one for me.
So I hope
you’ll stop by over the next few weeks and months to follow my Emptying Nest
journey.
This week,
however, my nest is quite full. The college son is back home from school for
three weeks. The world traveler (my middle son who recently traveled to France)
arrived home on Tuesday. And my youngest,
who shattered his second smart phone in as many months, comes home each day
dripping of sweat from weight training and football practice. While the three
of them drive me nuts most days, I love having them together. We’re heading off
for a week together at the beach, and I plan to enjoy every single minute of
the bickering, rough-housing, tussling, attitude-ridden, hugs that turn into neck
holds, smiles, real hugs, kisses on the cheek, and stolen moments I can get.
Now if I can keep them out of the water or at least keep them from becoming
shark bait, I’ll count myself lucky.
I’d love to
hear your words of wisdom about how you’ve dealt with an emptying nest. Like I
said, part of this is for me to learn. From you. And from processing my own
emotions and thoughts. Yes, that’s how writers often do it. ;0)
Have a great
week! Happy belated 4th of July. Enjoy your summer. And we’ll talk
real soon. Hugs!
