Time for a KLM check up. How am I handling my new reality as a genuine “empty nester” now that my two children are well and truly settled into their hotel and hovel?
On the whole pretty well, thank you. It’s still early days but I’ve already discerned a couple of “new likes” and “new not-so-fond-ofs ” about the whole situation and I’ve managed to come up with a few “suggested fixes” to steer me from sliding into blueness.
1) Rainy Weekend Mornings
I live in the southwest corner of BC, on the west coast of Canada. We get rain, a lot of it. So much so that some folks refer to it as “the wet coast” of Canada. Because it doesn’t get very cold here kids can play soccer from September to March. The only time a practice or game is cancelled is when there is heavy frost or a coating of snow on the ground. As both my children played soccer from the time they were five to age 16, I ‘ve enjoyed many a day of soggy sideline viewing. Wet weekends are particularly special. As the boys’ games are on Saturdays and the girls’ on Sunday there is little respite.
New Like – With no mandatory game on the agenda I get to choose whether I get wet or stay dry. Yes, the dog should be walked, however a couple of minutes in the backyard attending to her business won’t kill her.
New Not-so-fond-of – No longer chatting and commiserating with the teammates’ parents on the sidelines.
Suggested fix – Call or email these pals and organize a get-together. My kids may be away but my friends aren’t.
2) HOV Lanes
And an HOV lane is what exactly? “High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes.” In BC you can drive in this lane if you have two or more people in your car.
New Like – I needn’t worry about zipping to school for 3:00 pickup anymore so the slower, regular lanes are usually fine at that time.
New Not-so-fond-of – Sitting in a hot car in rush hour traffic, not moving and watching those in the HOV lane zipping past.
Suggested fix – Employing the use of my children’s swim parkas to act as a passengers. These parkas were a huge mistake. Constructed of stiff, totally unpliable fabric, they were rarely worn. I’d be delighted to put them to good use. Note how realistic my “front passenger” looks.
3) Purchasing and Cooking
Ok I really need to do some tweaking in these departments. Note the photo on the left where I placed the 750ml wine bottle to provide perspective. I am not rethinking its purchase. The two blue bottles to its left are my concern. They are shampoo and conditioner.
New Like – Nice to know I won’t run out for months, if ever.
New Not-so-fond-of – Hair needs a change of shampoo and conditioner every once in a while to keep it shiny and refreshed, I believe. If I don’t buy a different kind, I’ll soon be running around with flat, dull locks.
Suggested fix – Obvious. Ship the lot to my son who suggested I fire him some fabric softener and detergent.
The Tupperware number on the right contains the leftovers of my first meal I prepared as an empty nester. Man alive – you’d think I was cooking for 12.
New Like – Nice to have leftovers.
New Not-so-fond-of – Leftovers for six days in a row.
Suggested fix – Cut the recipe portions in half. Either that or eat out.
So there you have it. The Empty Nest Check Up according to KLM. I’ll revisit this subject in a few weeks time once I grow more familiar with my new existence.
How about you, dear fellow empty nester? What have you squirreled away in your list of new likes, new not-so-fond-ofs and suggested fixes? Anything I need to be forewarned about? I’d love to hear, so spill away.
6 Responses
I’d say, keep the wine, throw out the shampoo and conditioner, buy new, cut down recipe by 3/4 and eat out more. And if you’re in need of getting soaked and feeling damp, take a trip to a hot and humid climate! As for HOV lane pretend passengers, well hmmm…. All kidding aside, adjustment will come. When? It will come. Love, just love this post.
Wonderful advice – on all fronts! Thank you.
It sounds like you are doing pretty darn well, Kelly. Making lemonade out of lemons! One thing I don’t like about cooking for one or two is that it’s hard to keep fresh fruits and vegetables in the house. I feel like I have to commit to one thing, say strawberries, and that is the only fruit I can have for days. If I try to get a variety, I end up throwing away so much that goes bad. Suggested fix?
I know – it’s such a pain when the newly purchased berries get mushy and mouldy in just days. I might have a solution. Fruit salad! Recently I’ve bought pineapple, plums, blueberries (tail end of them sadly), bananas etc. Then as soon as I can I chop ’em all up and put them in tupperware, seal the lid and pop in fridge. I can get a couple more days out of the bananas that way as the pineapple juice markedly slows the browning process. Works for perishable berries too – get an extra day or two. My recent frustration – made squash soup. After one day- didn’t refrigerate, silly me, it was sour and horrid. Note to self: refrigerate asap.
FYI I’m sending you a nomination for the Sunshine Award in a post tonight. Hope you have fun with it!
Mo – this sounds really intriguing. Looking forward to learning more!Thank you!