Empty nests mean everything is easier
This empty nest thing is going great! So far I’ve only almost cried three or four times in the grocery store since the last of my kids went off to college. Tears never actually surfaced; just more of a silent catch in my throat. But if someone asked me to — asked me anything, really — I easily could have bawled.
And the weird thing is, it happens at unexpected times. Or maybe that’s not so weird. Maybe this kind of sadness sneaks up on you when you’re trying to remember what kind of cheese you’re supposed to be shopping for. (I once considered grocery lists a sign of mental weakness, but my wife quickly cured me of that particular notion.)
The feeling is most likely to hit when I am meandering down the cereal aisle and I wonder whether they have the Count Chocula and the Frankeberry out for Halloween yet. (It’s early September, but who are we kidding? Costco already has Christmas decorations on display.)
Mind you, I haven’t bought Halloween cereal for my kids in several years. And, frankly, I don’t remember if I ever did more than a time or two. But it’s that couple of times that make me think of the excitement of coming home with sugar-saturated cereal, a special occasion, something other than vegetables, hoping for happiness on their faces. Which, you know, that’s always 50-50 at best. It’s the successes that keep bringing you back.
Or maybe it’s the books on sale that will set me off. You may not think of a grocery store as a book peddler, but there were often “Blues Clues” tie-in books, things like that. Maybe it was a racket, but it was a good one, and it certainly worked on me. Come home with something like that and it’s hail the conquering hero. Sometimes. Again, results were mixed, but solid enough to keep me on the lookout.
There is still a book section, and to be honest I don’t even know what’s in it. Paperback versions of bestsellers, I think. But if I saw an “Arthur” book I think I’d buy it.
An empty nester at last
The funny thing is, I am not the sentimental type. Or so I thought.
I’ve always been of the belief that