What am I going to do? I asked myself this question on January 7 the day after my daughter left to go back to school in Michigan. We had just gotten back from our winter holiday and I had not really thought about what happens next. I recently retired from my job after 21 years. My life has always been about working…I have worked since I was 14 years old that is all I know. So what do I do now! After a couple of weeks of not waking up in the middle of the night and getting some good sleep I let myself be ok with the fact that I have no idea what I am going to do. Do I have to do anything? Yes I do. Can I take time to figure that out? Yes I can. The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to find something that gives me purpose and passion about people and life. That is what this adventure is about. I am so excited to share my thoughts with all of you. I hope it helps some of you get through the tough spots and know that we all have common struggles and that we are not alone.

No one can prepare a mom for a child’s senior year of high school. You think getting their license was tough to go through just wait for this. There is so many last time activities. It will be their last dance competition, last homecoming dance, last banquet. I don’t think I got through any of those without crying. If you are a mom of a senior you will keep Kleenex in business this last year. There is also the added stress of where will there be accepted to school. What if they don’t get in? How will they handle it? I think I was more stressed than she was. But what moms need to know is your kid is way more resilient than we are. Graduation is tough but you will get through it…I promise! There is no greater moment than watching your child walk the stage and get that diploma! For a month or so I was in denial of her actually leaving to go to College, 2100 miles away. I tried to spend as much time with her as I could those few months. But still in denial she was leaving. Then the day came we had to take her to college and leave her to start her next chapter in her life. I think one of the big aha moments for me was she had turned 18 and she was an adult. This was her journey not mine or my husbands. I needed to take a couple steps back and let her figure out things on her own not just assume she can’t handle it. BIG SURPRISE !!! She was just fine and I had nothing to worry about. I guess deep down I knew she could handle everything it was me who has having a hard time and that is OK for you to feel like that. After a few days of getting her settled we got on a plane to come home….I think I cried at random times on the plane. The littlest thing would get me thinking of her. It was not easy but after a month or so you adjust and you start looking at them in a whole new way! They do still need you but in a different way. You are here to listen to their new experiences and hear about all of their new friends. You are here to listen to how classes are and how they are adjusting to their new freedom. It will be hard in the beginning but she has almost finished her first year and I can tell you that I feel closer to her now that ever before. They still need you just in a different way. And I love that!

Thank you for taking the time read my blog. The purpose of this blog is to help me express my thoughts through stories, a type of humorous emotional journal if you will. I hope to help others who are going through similar journeys be it a daughter going off to college, retirement, menopause, or becoming a middle child. I hope to bring a smile to your face, maybe shed a tear or two and make you giggle. ( For those of you who don’t know the title is a play off my initials CEO)

Enjoy!