For a few short weeks, my empty nest is full again.
Two dorm rooms worth of stuff have returned home to fill the bedrooms and teeter in odd corners. Music floats from rooms where a few weeks ago there was only silence. Extra cars jostle for position. The refrigerator and pantry are stuffed with a selection of foods and beverages that haven’t been stocked since Christmas.
But I am not complaining.
For most of the year I enjoy my empty nest. As an introvert and a writer, having the house entirely to myself for most of the day suits me perfectly. It enables me to work without interruptions or distractions, at my own pace, in my own way. [I can feel waves of envy coming from certain writer friends who still have young ones at home. Don’t fret, your day will come.]
When my nest is empty and I spend an hour staring into space because I am imagining a scene and replaying it several different ways, no one is around to look at me cross-eyed or enquire if I am feeling feverish. If I don’t get around to eating lunch until 2:45, no one cares. If I get absorbed in a project and then suddenly realize is it 6:30 and I haven’t started dinner yet, no one sees my frantic racing about the kitchen as I throw something together. No extraneous noise, no conflicting agendas, no one looking over my shoulder.
When my nest fills up things are different.
But right now that is OK. This month I am enjoying the fact that I do have interruptions, even though it means my writing is not progressing as fast as I might wish. No daily word goal is as important, or as fulfilling, as a son who wanders by and gives me a hug, or plops down to talk. After months of communication-by-text, augmented with an occasional phone call, a real-life, face-to-face conversation is a welcome gift.
I am trying hard not to squander these moments. (Even if it means not getting a blog post up on time.)
This too shall pass (all too quickly)
In just over a week son #1 will be leaving to begin a three-year stint at grad school (pursuing a doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh, for those who are interested.) Three weeks later son #2 heads out for a missions project, leaving my nest empty once again. So I am trying to cram a summer’s worth of connecting (and doctor’s appointments, and shopping trips, and family celebrations, and …) into a few short weeks.
With limited success.
But each day I soak in the hugs, stop to watch the latest YouTube find, listen to the analysis of the Ultimate Frisbee tournament, and spend hours talking about future plans, dreams and fears. Life is good.
Yes, I admit that there are moments when I yearn for a quiet house so I can concentrate, but then I remember how few “full nest” days I have left. Productivity can wait until next month.
How about you? Do disruptions to your normal schedule throw you completely off, or can you embrace the benefits without grumbling (too much) about the inconveniences?
I hope you can enjoy your “disruptions” with grace, and find unexpected joy in places you never expected it.
That’s all for now, I have disruptions to enjoy. 🙂
Related Posts:
7 Reasons to Enjoy an Empty Nest