80. Empty Nest

"If parents follow wisdom,

their children remain happy. 

They content themselves

with simple pleasures

and don't look to constant stimulation

to keep themselves amused.

They love being at home

and don't have to go elsewhere 

for approval and acceptance.

When they leave home

to continue with their own adventure,

they carry with them

confidence, contentment, and joy.

And their parents watch them leave,

with satisfaction, peace, and happiness.

The 'empty nest syndrome'

should never bother

parents of the Tao.

Of course we'll miss our children.

But all their lives we have helped them

embrace life and welcome change.

We have learned to do the same.

New moments await us.

Our nest,

and theirs, 

is never empty."

I am grateful for the time I spent living alone. Through it, I learned to fill my own cup, and how to fashion a bigger cup for moments when I wanted or needed more out of life. This is not to say I was always happy to do so, or that it was easy to do at all. It wasn't. Over time it became so difficult that I found myself running into situations in which I perceived that I wouldn't have to do it all alone. Such situations have both brought me great joy, and gotten me in a lot of trouble. As I recuperate from and gain perspective on it all, I discover better how to model self-sufficiency and contentment for my daughter. I reconnect with the parts of myself I honed during that profound alone time. I know they have been a reserve of strength for me at this time in history of necessary distance from others. May they help me be more available when we can all be together again.