We Are Going to be Okay...

We moved our daughter (our second and youngest child) to college a month or so ago.  It truly felt like life was ending.  The first couple weeks were the hardest!  I knew that I would miss her, but I wasn't prepared for the anxiety and all the strong emotions that consumed me day in and day out.  I was desperate to know that my baby girl was "okay" while she in turn was exercising her newfound independence and didn't feel the need to be in contact with her mother.  It felt as though she may never need her mother again and life as I had known it for many years was over.  Suddenly ... 

• Daily routines were completely out of wack and I had extra hours that I wasn't sure what to do with;
• Dinner plates were even fewer than when our son left for college three years ago (Who am I kidding?  Meals in general have been fewer since she left.)
• The house was empty in the mornings and I no longer had to try to keep quiet as I made my coffee, etc., and I could even belt out my favorite songs in the shower if I wanted to.  (Though typically, I've now spent my mornings in silence, and in fact, I sometimes now show up for work with my voice slightly horse since there is no one to say "good morning" to as my husband leaves for work long before dawn.)
• Her bedroom is hauntingly clean, her bed continually made and there are no clothes on her floor - a constant reminder of her absence as I pass by (I finally had to just shut her door!)
• And I have been parking my car in the garage now after EIGHT years of parking on the street.  Since the kids began driving, we had them park in the garage to assure that their windshields were always clear on winter mornings.  (A number of times already I have hunted for my keys or walked out the front door in search of my car.)  Yep, habits are hard to break!  

In the weeks to follow, since they left for school, the kids have each been home a couple times already.  I've washed a few loads of their laundry, listened to a few stories, and given a few words of solicited advice.  I've received texts, SnapChats and phone calls in between visits, and I've even been honored with a few minutes or so of Facetime.  Though there have been a few struggles, they are doing "okay".

Meanwhile, I have managed to fill the extra minutes ...

• I've enrolled in a class toward finishing my degree
• I've had extra bonding time with my husband
  
• I've spent time with old friends - drinking coffee, going for walks, and more ...
  
• I've crossed off new bucket list activities .... I made salsa for the first time (it's the little things)
• And for what it is worth, I've managed to write another blog (it has been OVER a year since my last blog post, but with the stress of the above, I have been struggling to find inspiration.)

Anyway, I've got to go charge my phone just in case the kids text or call. 

And

although we may still be adjusting, 

I think we just might be "okay"...