The Long Road (Back and Forth)

So much for slow, quiet time as an “Empty Nester.” I’ve realized moving into this next phase of life is just like moving into a bigger house. Stuff accumulates rapidly to fill it up. Yes, certain things are smaller. I don’t have a million little errands to do every day involving things my children need, or forgot, or forgot to tell me they forgot. But they still need and want things. And sometimes I don’t want to say no.

For example, my daughter is on the crew team at her college and is open to us attending her regattas when we can. You don’t have to ask me twice! But this means we are making repeated long road trips to the Northeast. The New Jersey Turnpike has now become an old friend. I have favorite stops for bathrooms and snacks (Molly Pitcher for the win this time around). Jason and I have a routine involving which of us will drive which leg (he takes the Bay Bridge so I don’t have a panic attack - I drive the turnpike straighaways - he handles winding parkways north of NYC). We are binging a podcast on all the famous writers who attended Bennington College. We are riveted. We’ve found a rhythm of how I imagine truck drivers travel.

The weird thing is it never feels boring. Every time we approach New York City and see the skyline, I feel inspired. I mean, yes, we also have to see the Newark airport and some unsightly smoke stacks and industrial clutter, but I just focus on that skyline. It’s more than just a halfway point on our drive, it’s a motivator for all the possibilities that lie ahead. This empty nest is never empty.