A while ago I padded around after Mr. Right until finally he acknowledged my presence. At that point it was unavoidable as I was laying on the floor behind his computer chair.
I’m sad I said as I loudly crunched another Triscuit. I was eating them straight out of the bag that is how under the weather I was.
“Why are you sad?” He asked.
Because I love our kids.
He looked at me and said, “And they are growing up.”
YES! I sobbed.
Mr. Right was right. He knew exactly how I could love my kids and be sad at the same time.
Then he said to me, “I looked at The Princess yesterday and thought, ‘She is almost seven!’”
Those of you who consider yourself ancient might think “Only seven? Honey you’ve got years to go.”
Sure, OK.
But as dear Papa said seven years ago when he looked between me and my newborn Princess, “It goes by so fast.”
Mr. Right turned off the computer and helped me to my feet (dragged). And let me continue:
“…and I want them to grow up. I expect them to have their own lives some day. I hope their lives are so happy and busy that I am just a lucky bystander. But what will I do then? I have to do something. Otherwise how can I be happy when they are gone?”
“You’ll manage” he said.
By now he was getting out his Harry Potter book. That’s his cue that I’ve used my word quota for the day.
“Not likely” I muttered. “I probably won’t manage and I’ll end up killing them with my lavish attention.”
(This was not going to be an optimistic conversation after all.)
Twenty years of chaos and then what?
Twenty years is, uh, years away but by the wisdom of experienced parents the prophesy stands that “it goes by so quickly.”
So here’s my wonder…what should I do in twenty years when they’re gone???
Nana is exploring a new career.
Another mama I know spends a lot of time watching her grandkids.
Another spends a lot of time in her garden.
What in the world will I fill my time with??
Because heaven knows I ain’t gettin’ dirty in the garden.
What’ll I do?
Never mind, I know the aanswer.
It involves a lot of sleeping and reading.
And looking at my house that I had cleaned two days previous and it’s still really clean.
Oooohhhh, this could actually be good.