This week my daughter was home all week in observance of fall break. Her university is on quarters and they take a full week off between the first and second quarter of the year. The timing allows for her to not only decompress a bit and get back on a normal(ish) sleep schedule, visit some friends who are still in high school, and sufficient time to do laundry and swap out seasons of clothing.
I have a bit of a lump in my throat as I think that she has already blasted through three classes, joined several clubs and made strong connections with the students in her residence hall. It isn’t perfect, no experience will be, but she’s doing well. And I’m getting the hang of empty nesting. While I don’t have the disposable income or time to jet off to amazing lands and locations, I have found a routine, and it works for me. Notable, the routine is not iron clad and my life falls back into lounging on the couch and binging “Only Murders in the Building” with my kiddo.
Notably I am a bit jealous of the break. It would be nice to have a full week off in the midst of fall to reset. While I attempted to set aside enough time to enjoy the mundane aspects of life that I miss with her being at school where she is building her new life, I feel that there is something missing in my own. Perhaps it’s time for me to start really building my empty nest life - disposable income and time be damned.
❤️
I would find it interesting to know what your next steps are. When I look at my life, I have about ten years before retirement (what is that?) and I am looking to my next steps. What are your thoughts on next steps as an empty nester?