My daughter has moved out, and this time its probably for good. She is almost 22.
There are a lot of reasons why this is a good thing –
- I have gained a few hours a day.
- I don’t have to worry about the dog
- I don’t have to worry so much about dinner, I’m much less fussy.
- My house will stay cleaner with a whole lot less effort.
- My laundry has just gone down by 2/3.
- My grocery bills will go down substantially.
- I will have time to do things I haven’t been able to get to.
- My life is now my own. I don’t have to worry about pleasing anyone.
My daughter is now with her boyfriend and friends. Life up here was boring for her. It was great for healing, but now its time to get back to living her way. I would have been bored stiff up here when I was her age too. They will all come up and enjoy the lake – and that is good.
She has finished her dog training courses and is now a dog trainer. She is working on organizing her first classes for friends to get practice. I’m sure she will be great. She has always loved dogs.
Her Dad had hip surgery, and has since greatly reduced his drinking. I hope he sticks to it for everyone involved.
Poor kid. Her parents are complete opposites. Her dad is loud and boisterous, argumentative, and opinionated. I try to keep life more zen-like.
I miss our talks. We would spend a few minutes together in the morning, and at least an hour at night just talking. Now, when I get up she is at work. When I get home from work, she is sleeping.
This week I am working on sorting through my feelings and getting used to my new reality. I have delved into what my daughter calls ‘deep cleaning.’ I think it therapeutic for me. The house was clean, just not really clean. I know, I’m a sick person. However, I was able to put my clean obsessions aside during our time together because that was more important. Clean enough was good enough during that time. It still had to be clean, but it didn’t have to be spotless. Life has to be balanced. And I certainly couldn’t teach her that a clean home was important unless I lived it myself, right?
I am so thankful for the last year and a half that we spent together.
She is calmer, more centered, and more confident. She is thinner and healthier. She has become much more capable. I might be a little biased, but I think that lately she has been looking more beautiful. She needs a little more work on organization, time management, and setting priorities – but a lot of that just comes with doing. I’m sure she will be fine. She grew up a lot in a short amount of time. I am very proud of the young lady she has become.
I’m still working through the swings. Sometimes I’m really happy that I don’t have to worry about anyone but myself – especially when I’m getting home from work at about 11 PM. Other times, the house seems so empty.
Now its time to work on myself and get back to helping you. The holidays are coming up fast!
