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Good friends called us several weeks back. They have lived across the street from us for sixteen years and our sons grew up together as best friends. They had just gotten back from installing their son in a dorm and wanted to ‘consult’ as to ‘what to do next.’ They asked us over for dinner so that we could console one another.
We shared fond memories of when the boys used to play with their dogs and play touch football every afternoon in the slanted fall sun of the front yard; you would watch them as you stirred something or another on the stove–the two buddies, spending their childhood.
We all decide to take it a step, an hour or two, a day at a time.
Last night we met again for dinner and got down to daily life as it stands now, a month or so out.
“Help! My yard man left for college!” your neighbor cried. “My yard is a wreck!”
You miss seeing her sweet bespectacled son pushing the lawn mower every Sunday afternoon, but you think her yard looks absolutely fine– just some early fall leaves and wilted begonias to pull. But you feel her pain. You are lucky and have a great ‘mow, blow and go’ guy doing the yard. But you can still relate. After constantly reminding yourself to take care of the dog, take out the trash and recycling bins, unload the dishwasher and wash the cars (most of his old chores) now it’s all of the electronics that need his expertise. And for those friends of yours whose oldest child just left for college, they all say how much they miss not only their son or daughter, but also their driver/babysitter/errand runner/dogwalker etc. You give your neighbors the name of your lawn care dude and ask them if by any chance, they know how to turn on the flatscreen TV, or how to fix your Imac. They don’t have a clue.
Not only do you not have any ideas how to work the TV (earlier post), but for some strange reason, since your son moved into his dorm a month ago, Iphoto decided to simply disappear off of your Imac. Help! Where could Iphoto possibly go? You click and click and restart to see the icon bouncing up and down gaily, yet no results unfold. You refuse to call your son, the technological guru, your own personal cell phone and computer consultant, and ask him where Iphoto went. Everyday, you click on the icon again to see if it decided to come back. Then you give up on using your tech-savvy son as a shortcut, and break down and call Apple themselves. An hour later, Iphoto is back. You feel quite proud that you didn’t call him during his freshman English class to consult. It’s Apple Care from here on out, baby.
Maybe you can call the cable people next and ask them how to turn on the TV…you wish that there was such a thing as Cable Care.
Saturday Evening Porch 
Enjoying your clear and open writing style. But being a baby boomer myself I really think that you can reinvent yourself sans children – and have a really exciting and challenging life. There is so much out there and so many GREAT things that people of a certain age can do. It starts with looking forward to the horizon – someone said once something like. Keep your eyes on the windscreen and dont look in the rear vision mirror. That sums it up for me – connect with a new and exciting venture of life ahead is incredibly positive and filled with new purpose. All the best. Nicky
Exactly–thanks, Nicky!