Letting Go

This week all of our kids (they are all college age) are away. The oldest just head out on his own to his first AF base and career. One is away for a week of vacation with friends to the beach. And the twins to a conference. Three of the four will be back next week. But this week we are "empty nesters." And it's soooo quiet. Too quiet, for today at least. One day, maybe after they've all left to their own lives in a few years, we'll be like Max from Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are and say, "And now...let the wild rumpus start!” but right now, the first time they're all gone at the same time, it feels more like, “Oh, please don't go—we'll eat you up—we love you so!”

So, we had Chinese take-out for dinner last night. It was our last family dinner together with our oldest for awhile. Although #1 daughter was gone, so not really a "family" dinner. Anyhoodles, we ate Chinese (spring rolls, General Tso's and vegetable fried rice.) Very yummy,if not very good for us. Sent #1 son off on the road last night. Cried a little. Up early this morning to get twins on the train. Train 3 hours late. Ugh. Finally, they are underway. Get home to have leftover Chinese for breakfast so that I can take something for the tension headache, you know that kind that feels like someone wrapped barbed wire around your head and then added an ice pick right above your left eye? Yeah, that kind. So, I ate the leftover Chinese food, then took some Motrin for my headache. It's a couple hours later now, and the headache is still poking at me, laughing even, not dulled at all...and I'm thinking, maybe the MSG in the Chinese food was a bad idea.