The Empty Nest Era Is Ending.
Here Is What I Am Not Ready to Lose.
Proud mom moment… In a few weeks, my daughter graduates from law school.
I could not be more proud of her. And in true mom fashion, I celebrated the only way I know how. I booked us an African safari for after she finishes the bar exam in July.
Because if you are going to mark a milestone, you might as well do it with elephants, right?
But right now, before the graduation and the moving boxes and the refrigerator that will suddenly need restocking every three days, I find myself feeling something unexpected.
A little nostalgic for the chapter that is ending.
Let me back up.
When my daughter first left, Dan and I looked at each other across the dinner table and had to rediscover something we had let go a little rusty.
Each other.
It was awkward at first, if I am being honest. Dan wants the couch. I want the outdoors. He wants luxury hotel travel. As much as I love that, I love my tent and exploring gorgeous hiking spots. We had to learn how to want things together again.
And that process ended up being one of the best surprises of this season.
We knocked off bucket list trips we had been putting off forever.
Normandy.
Portugal.
The BVIs, which I was not even sure I would love and ended up being our favorite trip we have ever taken. We discovered new restaurants and started eating at the bar just because it felt fun. We took after dinner walks every single day, phones away, just the two of us dreaming out loud about what comes next.
We also rediscovered some of the perks of an empty house. I will leave it at that. 😏
If you are in the middle of your empty nest season right now, hear this.
Use it.
Travel somewhere you have been putting off.
Take the walk.
Say yes to the thing that sounds a little outside your comfort zone.
This quiet, this space, this season that is entirely yours is more precious than it feels in the middle of it. I know because mine is about to get a lot more lively.
And I genuinely cannot wait.
P.S. All this talk about using your season well, reminded me. Early bird pricing for the Fall Foliage Women's Nature Retreat opens this week. Five hundred dollars off, eight spots, and a few days in the woods that you will not stop talking about.
