Free Birds
I am a list girl. When I need to get a handle on feeling overwhelmed, I put everything down on paper. Crossing off items is my love language.
I also use lists as a joy catcher. As I get tired and depleted, my negative thoughts get more airtime. I can shift my mindset with a simple gratitude list.
The weeks after launching our youngest son off to college, the messages that swirl around me are of sadness of the empty nest, not the joy of being free birds. I miss our sons on a daily basis, but at the same time, it is a wonderful new chapter of our lives. Let me list them for you.
Our schedules are finally our own. I can get a pedicure on my way home from work without having to rush into our kichen to cook dinner.
Thanks to our new airfryer, dinner is a breeze. Here is a receipe we have enjoyed, but please send me yours.
More quality time with old friends. Locally we have seen friends for a beers and chilli, and our trips have had bonus visits squeezed into our route.
We get to bed early and not woken for late night rides or stumbling arrivals. Granted, I turn off notifications and “find my kid” when they are away at college and not everyone parents in that fashion. My anxiety cannot handle watching the late night Ubers on a Tuesday.
We are renovating a home in Vermont and it brings me back to being a new couple making home improvements together. This might be the best anti-aging serum I have tried.
When we see our boys, we are fully present and soak up the time together. There is a balance of giving them space and connecting deeply when we are together that is a work in progress.
The best part? Parent’s weekends and building excitement for the full house over Thanksgiving!
