It's been a whole month since I last wrote in this space, so it must be time. The month of August has flown by and now the school year is upon us. I have to say it's very strange not to have someone in the Rochester Public School system this year. Shannon started in 2004 and Erin finished in 2018, so for 14 years I've had my schedule dictated by ISD #535. And now it's not...
I had to change some of my bookmarks on my computer - mayospartans.org is out, drexel.edu is in.
Erin is enduring the long, painful process of saying goodbye to each of her friends who are heading off to college. She is among the very last to leave as she still has 20 days left in Rochester. I know she will be ready to go by the time Sept. 14th rolls around. While it's not goodbye forever as kids are more connected now via technology than ever before. But, it is goodbye to the way things were during high school. Who knows which friendships live on and which fade away as new ones take their place.
We have done all the shopping we can do. Her dorm room stuff is at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Philly waiting for us to pick it up. All that's left is to decide how much of her clothing she is taking and how many suitcases we will need to get it there.
In fact, we are so prepared that I'm leaving on vacation this week! I'm off to watch the US Open tennis tournament with 3 of my girlfriends. A VRBO in Queens, 3 or 4 days of watching the pros at Flushing Meadows, we'll take in a Broadway show and do a little NYC sightseeing. It's going to be a great getaway.
People keep asking me how I'm doing with the transition. So far so good... but Erin is still here right in front of me every day. I don't know how I'll feel once she's living somewhere else. As Dan says, plan the action, not the outcome. I'm just going to have to feel what I feel when the time comes.
I know I'm lucky to have the friends I do. I've got my mom squad who are all in the same boat, sending out girls off to school. I've got my tennis friends and my volleyball friends. I plan to play both this fall to help keep my busy. I did a strength training class for the last 12 weeks, and I plan to continue that, too. Oh, and I have a full time job that I enjoy. So, I will stay busy, but I know there will be a void when I don't get to see Erin every day.
One day at a time, Jen. One day at a time...
