The Nest is Empty Again

My wife and I are "empty nesters" again. All three of our kids have moved out of the house, back at school.

When the pandemic started last spring, two of our kids were in college, out of state. Our daughter was fairly close, about 90 minutes away. Our middle child was in school about 5 hours away. And our oldest had finished college and was living by himself and working in the big city nearby. 

Once Covid started, our younger kids' colleges sent them back to us. They spent the rest of the spring taking classes online. Then our oldest came home, too. Since he was living by himself, it didn't make much sense for him to be in his apartment all alone, isolated.

We'd been by ourselves my wife and I, for just a few months, and we were enjoying the time together.

But for the spring, summer, and fall, we had a full house again. And that was nice, too. It's always nice to have the kids around, especially as adults, with their own opinions and beliefs and interests,  and ways of wishing the world was different.

About three weeks ago, our oldest left for graduate school, about 6 hours away. He'll be near family, which is nice.

The middle child left on Saturday. He's back at school, 5 hours away, studying bugs and forests and coyotes, and looking forward to what comes next, after he graduates in the spring.

And on Sunday, we drove our daughter to her school. They aren't letting everyone back, but there were some spaces for students who wanted to live on campus, and she got one of them. She needed the change of scenery. All three of them did.

And it's a little scary to let them go during a pandemic. But we know they will be as safe and smart as they can be, and that their lives have to go on. There schools have strict rules about wearing masks and staying distant, and we know they will follow the rules. We have a Zoom meeting scheduled with all three of them for every Sunday night. Last night was the first one. It was nice to see their faces. They seem to be doing well.

But it's still a little scary.

As for us, we're still working from home, which we are fortunate to be able to do. We're being safe, and reading the news every day about when we might be able to get a vaccine, Soon, we hope.

The good thing about all of this is that we're already used to watching and waiting that's become a part of our pandemicized lives. We know what it feels like to be "in between," not really living the life we used to have, but not really being able to live the new life that's ahead of us. It's not our favorite place to be. But there's at least a little bit of comfort in the familiar.

So we look forward to whatever good things might come next, and we try not to worry about the things we can't control. 

I hope you all find ways to stay comfortable and at ease.

Back to cancer stuff soon.