Since March, the empty nest stage I thought I crossed into last September has not been the experience I envisioned.
As the last of the four children chose to join the Air National Guard and set off to basic training a year ago, I pictured tackling those back-burner projects to keep my mind off no longer having any children at home.
I did enjoy reading again, coloring or watching TV with my feet up on the couch with no pressing events on the horizon except going to work each day.
The slower-paced days wound down even further from preparing supper for two to not cooking at all. Popcorn or just eating out became a luxury not possible with four young ones.
March was the month empty-nesting began to mean never having time for those back-burner projects, and the reading and color times no longer existed.
You see, up until March I faithfully changed the little wooden tiles of the decorative calendar hanging in the kitchen. Each month and each day have individual tiles that slide into slots under the correct day of the week. To keep the calendar current, the tiles are changed each month.
I glanced at that calendar earlier this week and realized the tiles haven’t been changed for the past six months.
Instead of worrying about how I would spend my extra time, I realized empty nest means I would have to find more time to complete all the activities. I feel I am busier now than I was when the kids were home.
March started with a child returning to the nest when Adam returned from basic training. He didn’t spend his last of his active duty hours at home, but he was nearby in Sioux Falls and returned most weekends in March, April and May.
March was also the month our son, Andrew, and his wife, Laura, announced they would marry later in the year. While there weren’t 27 dress shirts in the wedding (a previous column topic), there was a horse and carriage that culminated into the fairy tale wedding day in late August.
May brought the arrival of our first grandchild, Jayden. I’ve tried to visit her home in Iowa on a weekly basis. The drive time has added up to 25 hours each month, but seeing the changes in this little human being is just amazing. Doubling the fun has been experiencing my great-niece’s changes through the same stages.
The summer meant weekend horse shows that blended into the county fair in late July. Adam reached the last year of 4-H eligibility, and he was determined to earn a trip to compete at the state level again.
Adam moved home for July and August in preparation for the state horse show and for college. His return meant Bryan and I were no longer empty-nesters. The household returned to a routine of evening suppers and a disruption of the stillness we’d grown used to with just the two of us.
Calm came in August when Adam was packed off to college, but he returned each weekend to prepare for the state horse show, which was last weekend.
Over a four-day period, I pampered the horse, helped Adam get ready for each of his three classes, and I walked for what seemed like a thousand miles. The show culminated Adam’s 13 years in 4-H and the three Top 10 finishes ended his horse involvement on a high note.
On Monday I woke with blisters on my feet and the anticipation of once again returning to the slower pace of empty-nesters.
To prove it, I am definitely changing those calendar tiles.