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.
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