"The last child...

"Your first child opens your eyes to the wonder of each new age,

your last reminds you of its transience."

-author unknown...yet obviously an empty nester

(with apologies to my middle child and all the stereotypes that accompany that birth order position...OVERLOOKED yet again!)

"And Then...She was a College Coed"

Penn State University

University Park, Pennsylvania

They also say you are only as happy as your unhappiest child.  So kudos to Thing #3 for fully embracing her new independence and responsibilities. Because as sad as I was to see her morph from baby girl to college coed, I gotta admit it appears to be a perfect fit.  As a result, she's given me no choice but to take a deep breath, let it go, and be happy too.  Even tho she didn't manage to get the official "Nittany Lion" as her room mate (yes, that is a disguise to protect the innocent), she otherwise is fully embracing the whole Penn State experience.  Participation in sorority rush, subsequent change of mind and withdrawal from sorority rush, dorm floor friends (gulp...we are living in a coed college dorm world),  Penn State football games, Penn State THON organizations, being asked to her first fraternity social, complaining about all the walking, late nights, and oh yeah....those pesky classes and studying.

This ain't my first rodeo when it comes to this particular stage with my Things.  But it is definetly my last. And I was I dragged kicking and screaming to the party.  It might have been a new beginning for Thing #3, but it was a certain ending for Moi.  A put a fork in it, it's done finality.  But I gotta admit, it's REALLY hard to be sad for myself when I see how happy my Thing is.  College is just what the doctor ordered for her.  If only he could have ordered me a Xanax.

"This Ain't Your Mom's Dorm"

So what's a mom to do?  I mean...what should a mom do when she isn't worrying, even tho there doesn't appear to be any logical reason to worry? Transience isn't exclusive to the Things, because I now appear to have a whole new stage of life ahead of me too thanks to my last child.  

Thing #3 might be decorating her dorm room, but her mom is focusing  on her own digs.  "Simplify and Lighten" is my new mantra.  That goes for everything from color schemes to all that accumulated crap stuff around the homestead.  I keep sending photos of "works in progress" to my college coed, and I keep getting the same response,  "STOP CHANGING THINGS MOM!".  I admit, that makes me laugh.  Karma for not listening and going ahead and growing up on me! 

And just like Thing #3, I also registered for classes at a local college.  Italian.  It's been on my bucket list for years.  I've finally reached a stage in my life where I ran out of excuses NOT to do it.  Transience has it's benefits.  Time's a tickin', mama mia!  I better get myself back to Italy too...as soon as I'm done paying off college tuition and redecorating.  

Unfortunately, sometimes practicalities get in the way of fully embracing new life stages.  This ain't my first rodeo when it comes to this truth either. Luckily, being happy isn't limited by practicalities. It's what you make of any given situation...even those due to transience.  So thank you to Thing #3 for ignoring my reluctance to let go, and for proving me wrong by being happy (kinda like when I made her try avocado for the first time!).  It's the gift that keeps on giving, whether you initially wanted it or not.

Here's where I "link up" today

(Join me on Tuesdays for Song-ography. Click on photo for a full description.)