Victoria and Colleen, I can relate! I drove away leaving Ned at Cornell on Saturday - 11 hours straight back to Bloomington from Ithaca, returning to an empty house at 1:30 am. About 36 hours later, I returned to California for the week, but in the interim got a solid dose of empty nesting. It is totally weird. On the one hand, I feel much older - pushed into the expectant grandparent generation with no warning. On the other hand, I feel much younger - for the first time in 23 years I don't have to think of anyone else first. I am as free as I was at age 15 alone at my great-aunt Louise's cabin in the mountains of Idaho. As long as you don't look into the mirror, your age is what your head says it is. I don't have to be responsible anymore. I don't have to be anyone's role model. I don't have to worry about embarrassing adolescents in front of their friends in my very small town where their friends are everywhere. I can do whatever the hell I want to do, consistent with keeping my paid employment....This may actually be okay.
And I plan to play loud music whenever I want to, make as much noise as I feel like making, not cook unless I am in the mood, and travel even more insanely than I already do. So far, Missouri in October, Oregon, DC, and Wisconsin in November, Hong Kong in December and Indiana and California all the times in between.
The best part is Ned's status post on his Facebook Page:
Ned is at the BEST UNIVERSITY EVER where everyone is ABNORMALLY AMIABLE
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2 comments:
Sounds like you're the one who should have a "coming out" party. I used to think we'd be washed up at 55. Now I feel like we're all going to find our fourth gear.
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