The ultimate in empty nesting

I've actually been absent for a long time because I found that blogging could come dangerously close to replacing a life instead of enhancing it...but I'm over that.

I've spent the last year engaged in the interesting profession of childcare. I began with the firm intention of limiting myself to "back up" sitting (see previous references to Last Minute Mom). Well -- it has worked out about as well as I could have hoped. I've seen the good and some of the bad of child care, but I have settled into a routine with a few really wonderful families that share their children with me as people to love. It's hard loving someone that isn't family -- not because it's hard to feel the feelings, but because it's difficult to care so much about someone whose life is really not in your true universe. The good part for me is that I really admire and respect the parents I work with, so while I don't necessarily agree with every parenting philosophy in play, I don't worry that these little ones are disregarded.

But onto the topic -- the ultimate in empty nesting. I started my "business" under the guise of filling time for an empty nesting mother. My husband still travels quite a bit, and with two grown and one in college, I had a relatively empty nest with time to fill (and college tuitions to fund). Now, the last little bird has graduated and is truly emptying the nest. SpecialK has earned a grant from a prestigious post-graduate program to go to Taiwan for the next year. Yes -- Taiwan as in 12 hours time difference -- 20+ hours of flight -- no one speaks English -- that Taiwan. The country very near (though not necessarily dear) to China. I'm sorry -- the territory...or whatever it is. It's the place that the US of A is committed to protecting from Chinese aggression, and the very same country that China considers to be theirs. It's the country with 1400 missiles aimed at it from China -- but 'only at the separatists' -- and it's the country that my youngest child will call home as she works for a stipend that the US government will tax despite it being the only way for her to pay her bills.

SO -- the point of this diatribe is that now my nest is truly empty. I'm saying that here and now but for the last time because it occurs to me that I need to start a diary of my life as a babysitter, and that simply cannot be public domain. I will return to using this site to ponder things -- and occasionally seeing someone respond (though often with their own ponderings as opposed to responding to mine -- that's okay too!)

MAD MEN returns to new episodes next week. I've been watching the first season again 'on demand' to get me back to speed. You can appreciate how your own memory deteriorates with age (did I say I'm old?? I'm not, but youth is not a term that would necessarily spring to your lips now that I have celebrated 55). I used to remember everything I did, said or felt -- and now I remember where I put my keys because they go in the same place everyday :)

So -- I'm off for now. I'll talk about vacations and SpecialK's travel to Taiwan in a future episode. Be well my unknown friends. I'm here to talk, but also to listen.