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It’s time. Well, almost.
The day has almost come where my youngest daughter heads out the door and begins college. There’s just a few months yet but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think about what life will look like when that day actually happens.
It’s bittersweet and I’m not sure exactly what life will be like when the day actually comes.
Will the house be quiet and fell empty?
Will I feel alone?
Will SHE be okay without me?
These are some of the things I think about. There’s a lot more but you get the idea.
I think the reason that I am taking this so hard is because she is the last. My baby is leaving me and I’m allowing myself the freedom to FEEL all of the emotions that come with it. In the end though, I’m proud. I am SO darn proud of her and her sister who have decided that they are ready to leave the nest.
What will happen next? Not sure yet. I do know that I’ll take things as they come and I will embrace where I’m at in the journey.
Here’s how I plan to cope with things.
Allow myself to FEEL the moment. It’s okay to mourn, to experience some guilt for what I did or didn’t do, to be happy, to be excited about new things.
I’ll work through those feelings. Instead of keeping those things to myself, I’ll work through them via journaling and letting myself know that it’s OKAY to feel these things. There’s no right or wrong way to feel and talking about it is a good thing.
I’ll find a NEW ME! Who’s Laura? What do I want to do now that I have all of this time? Are there things that I put on the back burner so that I could be a mom? Are there things I wanted to learn but never had time? I’ll be able to explore all of that and that sounds pretty exciting, right!?!
Learn that it’s OKAY to be alone. As a mom, I’ve had little ones around me for almost 21 years. My time has been spent with them and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. However, I’m not used to be alone so I’ll use this time to find the new me and get to know myself all in a positive way.
So, that’s my plan but I would love to hear any tips or advice that you may have if you’re an empty nester. What have you found to work? Do share! I’m all ears.
With Love,
Laura
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