An Empty-Nester Morning

Are you a harried mom? Wonder if the work will EVER end? Do you long to drink a cup of hot coffee without fear that you might spill some on a fuzzy little head? Wonder if your kids will turn out okay, even though you live in a state of terminal dysfunction (who doesn't, really.)? Wish you had done hurdles in high school so you could scale baby gates with the greatest of ease?

Come sit by me, and let me tell you what is in store for you (if you live).

Today, my only morning of the week without either Baby Boy or work to go to, I get to ENJOY what an empty nest is all about.

I got up at my usual time, even though I didn't sleep well at all last night. Getting up is SO much easier when you aren't required to. Anyway, if I stayed in bed I would miss out on my enjoyment of all that quiet.

It IS quiet here. THGGM left for work. No one is here but me and the kitty who likes to sit on my cold feet. Last year I still had a dog to play 'in and out' with all day long. She left the nest too.

I drank my coffee. I made it last night. No one intercepted it. It was just how I like it.

In peace and calm I read my morning devotional. I am in love with Oswald Chambers. I used to think of him as one of my favorite 'dead old men' writers. Now I realize that he was more than five years younger than I am right now when he died.

In utter tranquility I thought my own thoughts. I thought about the Gladys Taber book I read last night. Part of the reason I am tired this morning is that I googled her last night and stayed up late reading about her. Then, I climbed into bed and read what she had to say. I can do that. I thought about how much I would have liked her life. To a point. Wouldn't it be FUN to have a 'Jill' like she did, who seemed to do all of the work while Gladys wrote about what Jill did? That is my idea of a good life. You do something cool, and I'll write about it! I also think I would be good at raising puppies.

At 9:30 Daughter arrived for morning coffee, sans Baby Boy, who plays with his other grandpa on Fridays. Children who drive you completely bonkers while young grow into amazing human beings who function fabulously and are delightful to spend time with! I am astounded by that. Daughter is a wife, the mother of a thirteen month old, and is now four months pregnant. We carried on normal adult conversation. Children are cute and all that when they are small, but NOTHING is greater than sharing a cup of coffee and conversation with someone who knows what you look like when you get up in the morning, and still respects your opinions.

Daughter left for work and I tidied up the kitchen. So lazy was I when I went to bed last night that I ran the dishwasher for such a small amount of dishes I should be embarrassed. I remember when it wasn't unusual to run it several times a day. Still, I challenge myself daily to use the least amount of dishes possible. It's a little game I like to play. Others call it OCD. I also sat at my NEW kitchen counter and ate a bowl of cereal. I meant to eat Kashi GoLean Crunch, but I mistakenly poured myself Honey Bunches of Oats instead. I used up the milk, so I had to eat it. Still, I didn't let a little thing like that ruin my enjoyment of my new perch in the kitchen.

It's still morning. I plan to 'walk' through my house, picking up things and returning them to the proper place as I go. I have two piles of craft-related stuff to put away, but now that I am considering switching to yet another room, I'm not sure if I'll bother with that yet. My mom's 80th birthday is on the 27th, so we will host a family birthday party for her here on Sunday. Time to vacuum the Cheerios out of the couches. I took a picture of Baby Boy having his bottle on the floor, and also noticed a plethora of brightly colored balls under the couch in the living room. Must retrieve those too.

My plan for the early part of the afternoon is to clean up our bedroom. Since the bat incident of a month ago I have not been eager to spend any amount of time alone in there. I am not brave. Not one little bit. I'm more horrified at where I might find 'guano' than I am of actually finding another bat. No looky - no seey.

In my past life, I would try to remember what Daughter looked like, because she was SUCH a busy person we rarely saw her. She was either with a friend or playing some sort of sport. She found us to be incredibly dull (can't argue with that). Now, our dullness works to her advantage, and she knows that Baby Boy can pop in to play at almost anytime and we will be here, just being dull. I also never knew when Youngest Son was going to invite the entire basketball team to shower at our home. The school didn't have showers. He thought that answer would satisfy me. It never did. Oldest Son has friends whom we have never met, although they have been to our home numerous times. That's because they came in after we turned into pumpkins and left just a few minutes before we got up.

In my present life, take Monday for instance, everyone left to go to their own homes at precisely the same time. THGGM looked at me and said "They are all gone!" Then, he promptly fell asleep.

I watched "Antiques Roadshow" in peace and matched socks (you can take that either way as both are true).

Yes. The time does fly. Except of course, those times when THGGM would quickly pull into a parking spot and say "I will be RIGHT back!" leaving me in a very small car with three very young children. Those times sort of linger in my mind and I awaken some nights feeling as if I am still in that car. The great stuff, like Christmas mornings with everyone healthy and wearing bright new blanket-sleepers with the feet still attached I'm glad I have pictures of, as those moments seem to have been shot from a cannon (for the record, i had a nikon).

When I find that I miss all the noise and flurried activity of 'young family' life, I have my memories. And, I know of plenty of people willing to loan out their children for just long enough to remind me of why babies happen to the young.

Sometimes I wonder if maybe I enjoy being alone a bit too much.

Nah.