“The Empty Nester”……. That title seemed so far away when I was married with young children. As our girls grew into delightful young ladies, my husband started to express concern as to what I would do when the kids left home. He felt that I was such a selfless, all-encompassing mother (as most of us are), that there would be such a huge gaping hole left when they flew the coop. For many years he would continually remind me to continue to contemplate the impending Empty Nest. But I just couldn’t wrap my head around that concept. Not until it actually happened. And when it happened, it hit me hard, like so many other parents before me.
All I had in my mind as a late teenager (along with fashion and boys), was to be successful in whatever career I found (check). Then to have a loving husband (check), and lovely family (check). Mission accomplished right? ……. Now what?
Well, I don’t think I was able to plan the “what” to do with myself ahead of time. Also in my Grand Life Scheme I formulated as a teenager, I now came to the conclusion that I had had absolutely no grasp on the total immersion my kids would take in my heart and how ripped apart that would feel when they left their family nest.
It wasn’t until I found myself in the first few months after the last of my two kids moved out, that I realized I didn’t need to have an answer to what I would “do” with no kids living at home, and that I could just let the ride of “Evolving” as an Empty Nester unfold by itself.
So here I am. A 53 year old “Empty Nester”, born English, lived in Australia where I met a Canadian and eventually moved to Beautiful British Columbia, Canada where we had two beautiful baby girls who developed into totally different confident, smart, and gorgeous young ladies. I am an avid Crossfit enthusiast and work as a Server at a spectacular Winery in the Okanagan Valley. It seems now, “Empty Nester” is added to my repertoire and through this Blog and living life, I’m seeing where it will take me. I’m predicting that my blogs will feature my evolving life and family, hospitality stories I’ve gathered over my many years working in this field, and ruminating over my love of the beautiful Okanagan Valley – not to mention the odd glass of vino!
I hope you enjoy the journey with me………….stay tuned…………….
The Evolving Empty Nester 