I Have Stories To Tell! Episode the 35th

It has been already been a somewhat brutal/semi-nostalgic month of August, and as the month progresses, it's only going to get worse.

"But G.B., you're only 11 days into the month. How in the world can you already be thinking like this?"

Very easy, my good reader. Very, very easy.

I have two children: a daughter is about 18 1/2 and a son who is about a month short of being 27. And for the both of them, serious changes are indeed afoot. Before I continue, I should note that I'm already halfway through being an empty nester (well, as empty nester as you can be while sharing a roof with your one surviving parent), and by the end of the month, I'll be a complete empty nester.

I got to the halfway point of being a empty nester when my son moved out to live with his fiancee in the spring of 2018. His fiancee is a very lovely young lady who loves him dearly and his soon-to-be in-laws just love him to pieces (and then some). They've taken their relationship on the slow and steady (like a couple of turtles, so to speak) and will be getting married next month after an almost one year engagement.

This is the first part of the brutality/nostalgia that is August, as the wedding countdown officially began with a very lovely and entertaining Jack & Jill party held this past weekend (that would be August 9, 2019), where I got to meet said future in-laws and extended family. Note, both parents are very outgoing and gregarious and love my son to pieces.

Note: I suffer from a very light case of social anxiety, so for me to attend and stay to the very end is saying quite a bit. But, this is my son who is getting married, thus we do suck it up and assimilate the best we can.

The second part of the brutality/nostalgia that is August will culminate in roughly two weeks when my daughter goes off to college. She has decided to live on campus so as to 1} experience the whole academic life and 2} to save time/money on the two hour round trip commute to school. For those who are curious, she will be cramming a six year master's degree in social work into five very hectic years.

So moving day will be in roughly two weeks, and I'm sure that more than a few tears will be shed in the process. My daughter is a very resourceful girl as she's done all of the leg work required to get into the school of her choice (including hunting down the renewable scholarships that thankfully takes away some of the financial stress/load).

I, as only a loving parent can do, will help her get the student loans required on a as-needed basis throughout the school year (Fall 2019 semester is already paid for with scholarships and two CHET/529 educational accounts. Spring 2020 will be pretty much the same way, with about 25% paid for in advance), as well as finding her a very good job lead for next summer.

And thus is the reasoning why the month of August, and to a lesser degree the first half of September, will wax and wane for me. So while the work drama has effectively subsided, the 100% necessary family events won't subside until late September. Which ultimately means that October will be the earliest I'll be able to tackle my writing.

We leave with one of the most ear-wormy songs from my childhood to start your week with. Enjoy!

{c} 2019 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved