I’M NOT AN EMPTY-NESTER, I’M A FREE BIRD
For most of us, life goes by at lightening speed. Since my daughter and her husband had their baby, time had been flying even faster. He is already almost 4 months old, cooing, making bubbles and rolling over. Watching him concentrate as he discovers his hands, clasping them together, trying to grip a rattle, it’s truly an amazing thing. My husband and I were talking about it and sadly, neither of us can’t recall a lot of those small milestones with our kids. Some days it feels like yesterday, and some days it feels like forever ago.
We are grateful to have both of our adult kids nearby. Having “kids” in their 30s, with full lives, careers, families of their own, feels more like adult friends than “kids”. We love our relationship with our kids, we hang out on the weekends at each other’s homes, cook together, meet up for dinner, it’s a great life.
Recently I was reading an article where Gwyneth Paltrow was quoted as saying she was not an empty nester, rather a “free bird”, and it resonated with me. Her children are now in college and she is moving onto the next stage of her life, just as her children are doing. I always thought the term “empty-nester” was negative. I mean, we spend a large portion of our lives, more than 20 years really, helping our children grow and go out into the world to make a life of their own. What are we sad about? Agreed it can be emotional when they leave for college, or get married, or relocate to another part of the world. All of which my kids have done. But aren’t they doing exactly what we raised them to do? And what is left for us? Well, so much! We are free birds again! Many of us will continue to live for another 30 to 40 years, and that’s a lot of life left to live, and we are making the most of it, at least we should be.
We are a generation of movers and shakers. We were the “Yuppies” of the 80’s. (Young Urban Professionals, for those of you who didn’t live through it). We saw technology develop before our very eyes. We are proficient in iPhones and cursive handwriting. Right now, I am wearing my new AirPods Pro with adaptive sound, and when I ran the vacuum earlier today, they literally tuned out the volume of the vacuum so I could listen to my podcast without outside noise. How amazing is it for us to say we’ve seen all of this happen in our lifetime? Time flies indeed.
A most important factor of happiness is our mindset. What we think and feel, and how we react to situations around us, rather than trying to control them, is one of the keys to a positive outlook. It’s empowering. Creating a lifestyle that suits our personal goals and desires, especially after our families have grown and moved on, helps us redefine our purpose. Having a purpose is one of the keys to longevity. As this year comes to a close (and this year has flown by), one thing I am doing is, instead of making resolutions, I am evaluating what worked for me this year, how I could enhance those facets of my life, or let go of what no longer serves me. My hope for all of you is for an exciting new chapter in your lives as they evolve. Embracing the changes and adapting a positive mindset towards the potential opportunities is exciting. And liberating. I am a free bird.
