Will it ever be the end?
Remember in the first instalment, my mother, who is a generation younger than my MIL, still lives in our home. Admittedly, she has been her twenty-five years and has not required any sort of long-term physical support except the occasional broken foot, twisted ankle and other such ailments that keep her from walking her beloved Schnauzer. At those times, her presence is very much felt, but in general she is independent and has a busy and full life with her own interests. This story is long from over thought, as our daughters grow and their lives change, we also find that our lives are shifting into different interests, our super social calendar is now less filled with other people and more open to enjoying our days. We still have many working hours and tons of plans, but they now happen in a more thoughtful and less hurried manner. Nothing seems to be as urgent in some ways, and perhaps we are simply enjoying the people we are with as adults rather than racing around with our children from one sport to another necessary childhood events. They are now young adults and need to know we are here but at the same time are become more independent of us. Curious how similar the feeling is in the middle here, our parents need us less, our children need us less. Let’s just enjoy the lull one day at a time rather than anticipating anxiously for any emergencies.