The New Normal

This season of life is one resembling a moving sidewalk.  I am am on the sidewalk, but it is steadily moving towards a different destination and there's nothing I can do about it.  This is not always easy, never comfortable and quite often daunting.

This year in particular, the sidewalk is moving towards some major changes in our children's lives. And we will reach a few milestones. We have two graduations, a 25th anniversary and and a wedding.

With each of these events, the fabric of our family life will be trimmed and shaped into something different than that which we began constructing a quarter of a century ago.

Our house has become a revolving door of children moving in and out.  Rather than doing daily life together,  we see each other on a more 'special-occasion-event' basis.  More often than not, arrivals coincide with departures - a tag-team of sorts.  As I come in the door, one of the kids is walking out the door, keys in hand.

Our daughter left for practicum a week ago.  She will be gone for another three weeks, returning for a week, and then taking off again for part two.  This is her final term - in just a few short months, she will be launching into a new career.  A couple months later, she will begin a new branch of the family tree with her fiance.

Our #2 son is one week away from finishing his first semester of his last year at high school.  He is trying to decide what direction to go from there - but more importantly, he has become a walking event calendar:  "I'm going to a party".  "I'll be late getting home tonight" "I am staying overnight".

Our #1 son is busy adding skills to his repertoire.  He is actively pursuing his life-guarding training.  Nothing is stopping him from this - he is focused on this goal.   He often greets me with his gym bag in hand as he heads out the door to work on swimming, or boxing.

 I no longer need a "Mom's Calendar".  I don't have to keep track of each person's events and make sure they get there.  They return their own phone calls, make their own appointments, and fill out their own paperwork.  [This part I like] .  I do miss having time with them -  the corporate shopping trips, where we would outfit each person with shoes, or clothes, or making a quick stop at a drive through to use the coupons we'd bought for cheap treats.  When there is a special event (like Valentine's coming up) I have to issue an invitation to everyone and hope they will be able to join us.  Not like the 'old days' where I knew they'd be at the table anyways.  It takes some getting used to that we are back to the "two of us", more than we are the "five of us". It's my 'new normal'.