Empty nest
Today, for the first time in nearly two decades, I didn’t have enough clothes to run a full washing machine load. There are no shoes lying around or shoe marks in the hall. No bits of paper. No noise of a video game console in the middle of night. No getting up early to make tiffin. No dropping off or picking up from places. No more scheduling of my day around anyone. No hugs and kisses to convince me for demands. My home is same as it was last night or the day before……. People would say that there are two chapters in the life of a parent , house with kids and house after kids go to university. It sunk only when I came back to the empty nest, after dropping off my son to university.
The silence in the house was deafening and nothing helped to over come the vacuum. I intentionally throw his clothes and shoes here and there in the house to feel his presence. My phone is on me at all times, least I miss his message or call.
It’s difficult not to think and worry about your kid, when for so many years your life rotated around him. Whatever I might do, I am always thinking of him. And I always pray for his well being.
Though it’s not easy for either of the parent when their child is away, a mother is always connected to the child with some unseen umbilical cord.
The Mind understands that my baby is grown up and he is his own person, but for the heart, it’s not easy to let it go. I think, I’ll learn to live with him not being around in due time.
From the time a child is born, parents do their best towards providing a good life, good education and a promising future. For parents the biggest achievement is to see their children to be there, wherever they want to be. We are happy if our children are happy. My son is my inspiration. He is my editor too. Whenever I write a poem or story, he is the one who makes the corrections. While he was in university I wrote a poem remembering him:
Time
The two most powerful warriors are patience and time
Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters
Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments
The way we spend time defines who we are
The trouble is you think you have time
But Time waits for no one
It doesn’t change us, time just unfolds us
Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician
Be patient, good things take time
The most precious resource we all have is time
The bad news is time flies, the good news is you are the pilot
Time is free, but it’s priceless
You cannot own it, but you can use it
You can’t keep it, but you can spend it
Once you have lost it, you can never get it back
You can’t turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again
The key is in not spending time, but in investing it
There is no right time in life, there is just time
And you got to choose what to do with it
When my child was born, I thought I have enough time
But time just flew, though it brought something new each hour
It’s hard to see your child grow up and leave you behind
But at the same time you are so proud of all their accomplishments
There is no way to freeze time and keep your child little forever
Instead, you must love them and enjoy them as much as you can, today
Because tomorrow they will be a little older.
So love them a little more, before they are not little anymore.
Today my happiness knows no bounds, my son is coming home after 2 ½ months. This is the longest I have ever stayed without him. I have made the list of his favourite food I am going to make. We will go shopping together and to his favourite restaurants as well. When I saw him at the airport I couldn’t stop my tears. My house got its life back. Every day I made his favourite dishes for breakfast and other meals. Lot of his friends were also around for winter break. He got to meet up with all of them. The highlight of the trip was he got his drivers license just one day before he was going back, which he couldn’t apply for before going to university as he was not 18 years old then.
Days felt shorter with him being around and before I knew it was time for him to go back to his life, his university which is 13342 km away. I am a proud mother for my child living his dream and working hard to make it reality. He is of course facing challenges, as any kid would staying in the hostel away from home. We got really worried when he had an episode of a skin allergy due to pollens in the university area. He had to miss lectures and had to rush to emergency care. Thank God he got well with timely treatment. Once again, we felt helpless when he had high fever, but kids learn to manage. It’s amazing to watch how your child becomes so responsible and sensible. As we learn from our own experiences, they do too. Thanks to technology and the internet, we can reach out to each other anytime. Wherever he might go, he will always be in my heart and my blessings be with him.
End
