Deep Thoughts Over Coffee
That “first sip feeling”, indeed! It’s especially poignant when you haven’t tasted your favorite beverage in weeks. I mentioned that I had an Earl Grey tea on Monday, after weeks- pretty much the whole summer- of green tea. Several people asked how it went. YOU GUYS, IT IS AMAZING! I love it even more than I used to. To be clear, I’m not having Earl Grey every day. I’m going with every other day for now, with my gunpowder green tea on the days in between. I just want to ease into it and make sure my digestion is okay (although at this point, if a cup of Earl Grey wrecks my digestion, I might just throw up my hands in defeat). So far, so good! If we were having coffee together (or, TEA!!!) I would tell you I feel like we’ve NAILED the first week of school! We leave extra early in the morning so the traffic is manageable- and by the time I drop off and am driving away from the school, cars are backed up for about a mile. Leaving ten minutes early saves us at least half an hour. However. I realized that now I only have ONE MORE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL left. In my entire life. How…what… I feel an existential crisis coming on- stay tuned. Speaking of first days- my son leaves for Northwestern tomorrow. I’ll be sad to say goodbye, and I’m also excited for him to start this new adventure. We’ve had a lot of great conversations lately, both on our road trip and while he’s been home. I think we’re closer than we’ve ever been- and at the same time, he’s growing farther away from us in the most natural and healthy way possible. He’s moved past the “student who comes home for every vacation” phase and into “adult with his own life.” Adults don’t necessarily come home to their parents every time they have a break in their schedule! His girlfriend is still in Waco, and he has plans to visit her on his spring break this year. Assuming that they stay together, his time will be divided between us, and her and her family. And that’s fine! It’s what we all want for our kids, right? Paul and I have talked this through, and agreed to stay in closer touch via phone calls and emails. And I have my fall trip planned! At least, in my mind. I don’t know the dates yet- but I will be going up to visit him in October. Four years ago, someone told me that college is a “good transitional phase”, and now I understand that. They go in as the child you’ve taken care of for 18 years, and four years later everyone involved has achieved a new degree of independence. Phew. That’s enough deep thoughts for one day. I’m off to the first high school football game of the season- I need some mindless fun! What would you tell me over coffee? Anyone else have an existential crisis looming?