Robin Clifford Wood
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​blog: You'll Never Be Quite the Same

Alone in my daughter's house

9/22/2019

5 Comments

 
Picture
           The empty nest is more than one thing. There ought to be identified stages along the empty nest trail: the youngest kid has left for college stage; the everyone-has-their-own-place stage; the established life trajectories or life partners stage. Slowly, their childhood home, your home, retreats in significance, though it may always hold their hearts. And there are empty nest moments, like when you spend the night in your child’s home, but they are away.
            I have grown to cherish solitude. The solitude of waking up in your daughter’s empty house is unique, and precious in its own way. I feel like a benevolent ghost, wandering her spaces. There is the dog paraphernalia, the art and photos hanging on the walls – some hers, some her fiancés, the rumpled sheets of her room, signs of a bustling departure, signs of a dynamic life. Her familiar stuffed animals at the bedside make me smile.
            Last night, I heard her upstairs landlord arrive home. An evening arrival, the wild tip-tapping of dog feet, and a sweet human voice cooing her laughing, loving greeting. I love to think about Tessa hearing that. This is where my daughter lives.
            It’s a gift, occupying Tessa’s space for time, undistracted. Here she is. Here is her dear life. To top it off, there was also Ben & Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in the fridge.
 
My 60th year in 60,000 words
Day 26: 154 words, TOTAL = 3950; 56,050 remaining
5 Comments
Liz Nitzel
9/22/2019 08:26:40 am

Robin, this is so beautiful and appreciated. We are in an earlier stage of empty nest. Youngest back home for regrouping. When I get to spend the night in my daughter's adult world, nothing can compare.

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Christina Earley
9/22/2019 08:33:18 am

Your writing touches my heart every time.

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Sue Baumgardner link
9/22/2019 06:40:50 pm

Loved reading this. I felt like we were having an intimate conversation and I was about to tell you a bit about my empty nest. <3

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Anna
9/22/2019 10:41:24 pm

Flag this one for more writing! Golden. Not a concept I've read/heard/thought about much at all

Reply
Robin
9/23/2019 08:05:29 am

Thank you everyone. I like the idea of exploring this concept further. One of the unexpected bonuses of this blog may be that it serves as a jumping off point for deeper writing.

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    Author

    Robin Clifford Wood is an award-winning author, poet, and writing teacher.  She lives  in central Maine with her husband, loves to be outdoors, and enjoys ever-expanding horizons through her children, grandchildren, and granddogs.

    To read about the "60th year in 60,000 words" challenge, go to the August 27th blog post. 
    ​
    https://www.robincliffordwood.com/youll-never-be-quite-the-same---blog/tomorrow-is-launch-day
    ​

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