Big changes

Another change that ended up being bigger than I expected was our son's departure from the family home. I mean, it's what parents are supposed to look forward to, right? We welcome the baby, love and nurture and teach the child, and watch the young adult head out the door, diploma in hand, to their adult life.

Well, our son was an only child. He also took a rather meandering path toward that diploma. Four different majors, four different schools...six extra years. But he finally found his path, graduated (with honors, even!) and started a career. He just didn't move out. I suppose that he liked my cooking! Rents in the DC area are hideous, too. But suddenly, he moved. Not across town, or the state, or even to the west coast! He moved to a tiny island in the South Pacific. And most of the preparation took place over less than six weeks time. It was frantic and exhausting.

Now, he's a two day journey away, by plane. Sure, we can chat on Facebook. We can exchange emails. We've even managed a FaceTime conversation already. But there's a huge difference. Some good, some not. Obviously there's less laundry. I keep cooking too much, as I adjust to two appetites. The plus there is that I'm taking those leftovers in and avoiding school lunches. But I miss him.

It's strange. The person I probably talked to the most is no longer available. I pick up my phone to share a joke and I can't call him. We had deep conversations about politics, religion, philosophy. We share some viewpoints, disagree on others, but the disagreements are always discussed...not argued.

Adjusting to an empty nest has involved changes that I'm struggling with. More to follow.

Bigger changes than expected

This blog is supposed to be about making small changes.but sometimes life has a way of forcing changes whether you're ready or not. So, since my last post, I've been dealing with some major changes! Luckily, none of them is due to health or job loss. But they were sudden and drastic.

First, my husband and I moved. After 23 years in one house, that's drastic enough. Luckily our son was able to stay in our current place for a little while, and we've been able to move gradually, sorting and discarding the detritus of those 23 years as we downsize. And even more luck, the son of our long time neighbors wants to buy and fix the house up! So no hassles about listing the place and waiting for a buyer.

We're in a small rental now, while we scout the new town for an appropriate place. We want one that is smaller than our old home, with enough yard space for a decent garden. I'm hoping that I never have to move again. We shall see. I am loving the lack of clutter, as we only brought the bare necessities. Every box we bring in is filled only with essentials. Over the last few weeks, we've been traveling back and forth, sorting, donating, throwing away, and generally looking forward to getting back to the calm, uncluttered new place.

As well, I've started to experiment with some of my interests that I had no time or room for in the old place. Making herbal teas and medicinal salves was the first forays into things that I've been wanting to do. Thanks to Mountain Rose Herbs, I've got access to all the things I've had no room or time to grow.