THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM...
And mysteries of the universe.
After several years of this season of life, this empty nest season, I’m ready to accept that there isn’t always an explanation for a “why,” a “what,” or a “when”—let alone a “how.”
When the kids were growing up, I treated every moment as a teachable moment. I went to great lengths to communicate the why, what, when, and how of every situation to help them come to the best possible solution. Flash forward twenty years and it now seems that my body, my children, and even my appliances are conspiring to keep me humble, and I’m ready to surrender to the mysteries of the universe.
Like, how is it that every three weeks my gray roots spring up on the top of my head, but the length of my hair never increases? Based on the amount of gray showing, my hair has grown at least an inch, yet my ponytail is still scraggly looking. In fact, I think my hair is actually getting shorter! How can that be possible?
And how is it that I can fall asleep in the middle of a movie at 6:42 pm, even when we’re at a movie theater? And it’s not just the new movie theaters with the reclining seats where you are practically lying flat—I fall asleep sitting straight up! When it’s actually time for bed, I toss and turn for hours. And don’t get me started on the time change; it’s only an hour, for heaven’s sake! Why do I have to force myself to stay awake after dinner and still wake up the next morning before the crack of dawn?
Parenting adult children has its share of mysteries, too. Like, why do they call me only when they are driving? I mean, on one hand, I get it. They’re busy, and finding time to call home is perhaps not at the top of their list. I must admit that I’m guilty of calling my parents while driving too. I wonder if they are concerned about the dangers of distracted driving. Do they imagine—as I do—being on the other end of the phone, hearing a horrific car crash, and being powerless to do anything about it?
And why am I still saving their bedroom furniture and Grandma’s dishes for my kids when they have told me repeatedly that they DO NOT want them? I’m doing it because it’s unfathomable to me that they wouldn’t want perfectly good FREE furniture and kitchen items.
And speaking of the kitchen, it continues to be full of mysteries. The kids have flown the nest … but where do the mountains of dirty dishes come from? I rarely cook anymore. Lately, we are more likely to eat dinner out of plastic takeout containers rather than on real plates … and yet the kitchen sink is perpetually full of dishes! Who can I blame for that? And was the dishwasher always this loud? I have to plan in advance when I’m going to turn it on because once it’s running, you can hardly talk over it!
Without the kids at home, I have now become the self-appointed IT department. Actually, I got the job by default. It was either me or my husband, who still says, “Ask THE Google,” which drives me crazy, so it’s up to me to navigate our streaming devices, smart appliances, and AI. The truth is, I’ve discovered that if you just keep pushing buttons, eventually it works. Keep in mind that I can’t tell you how or why … or even which buttons I pushed … but that’s the point, isn’t it?
That’s proof of the mysteries of the universe and the huge number of things guaranteed to keep me humble now that the kids have relinquished that job.
There is no shortage of things that make you go … hmmm.
