Dave’s Blurb for April

Turned 50 this month. Without
any hoopla. When I turned 40, it was a big deal. Everyone at our then fledgling
little design company decorated the office with hideous black over-the-hill
themed banners, balloons, streamers, plates and cups. And, of course, gag gifts
for the old guy. It was fun. None of that for when I turned 50.  I guess it’s a little too close to the truth.

So at the half-century mark, I’m
looking at things differently. Mostly I’m looking at an empty nest. Dang, it’s
quiet. All the kids are gone. Our youngest moved out this month. So it’s my
wife, me, two cats, a dog and a marked increase of free time.

We always said when the kids are
grown we’ll do this and that and go there. But lately we’re just watching
seasons of our favorite shows (uninterrupted, I might add). I think this is how
we are dealing with the newness of it all.

We do have a granddaughter,
Aubrey, who stays with us several nights a week. She’s an awesome
eight-year-old—which I think may be God’s kind way of transitioning us to a
totally empty nest. So we still have French fries with dinner and keep lots of
cookies in the house.

I’m learning what happens when
life goes from work and kids to just work. Sandy, my lovely wife, hasn’t worked
at our business in years so she’s transitioning from kids to no kids. I think
it’s hit her especially hard. She volunteers at our granddaughter’s school one
day a week, has hobbies, and is considering going back to school.

Questions we used to ask each
other, like…

            Who’s
picking up Jessie?

            Can
you take Aubrey to soccer?

            Did
the kids feed the pets?

are now replaced with…

            What
do we do with this big house?

            Why
do we need an SUV?

            Can
we put more away for retirement?

And of course the deep-thought
question of the hour is…

    What am I gonna do with the
second half? (Technically, we’re way past the second half. But don’t tell me.
We’re figuring it out.)

So if your life is filled with
the busy-ness of raising kids and you don’t relate any of this, sorry. I
imagine your day will probably come. You may even be daydreaming (or dreading)
it now. It’s not so bad…Aubrey is coming over tonight. And we’re having fries.