Welcome back! It’s been a while. Honestly, I am moving into a new season of life of an empty-nest, and it is taking some adjustment.
I’m not always a fan of change. This change is a change that I knew was coming, and I possibly could have prepared for it better.
I’m talking about the upcoming graduation of my only child. In about 8 months, she will be leaving home to go away to college and play college soccer, and I will have an empty-nest.
As long as I can remember, her dreams have been to play soccer in college. We have invested a lot of time and money in helping her fulfill her dream and to see it come to fruition, I believe my heart could burst.
Amazon Prime Student 6-Month Trial
The problem with devoting so much time and energy in your child’s dreams is…. You kinda lose sight of your own. Friendships and hobbies tend to get pushed to the back burner, so you can focus on your kid.
Now, I only have experience with only children. I am an only child, and I have an only child. I have no idea what the dynamics of having multiple kiddos look like. So if you are looking at advice for balancing more than one, I am not your girl.
NEW SEASON…EMPTY-NEST
So as I embrace this new season of life with an empty-nest, I hope to take you on this journey. This season, I believe, will involve a change in a career, re-discovering what to do with free-time, embracing an empty-nest, and re-connecting with friends that got pushed to the side as I focused solely on my daughter.
Now, these are just my opinions, and every family has to find what aligns with their convictions, values, and beliefs. For me, raising and investing in my child was the most important job I could have ever been given.
Every decision I made revolved around being available to be present for her. I prayed and asked God for so long for her, and I vowed to never take a moment for granted.
Let’s Talk About Careers…
For me, flexibility is still going to be of utmost importance because we will be traveling to watch her play soccer. Have I said how proud I am of her?
The first four years of her life, I was working for an escrow company in real estate. It was extremely time-consuming and left that industry when AB started school.
I spent the next eight or nine years in insurance sales, and I have written often about how much I loved selling insurance. During that season of life, I went through the roughest time of my life, losing my dad. That turned my world upside down. I know God knew what was to come, and he put insurance in my life for that season. Sadly, we live in a very different time than we were living in just five years ago, and I don’t feel safe traveling and going to individuals’ homes anymore.
In 2018, I was able to come home and work from home online. I spent three years in direct sales, which provided extreme flexibility. It was such a blessing to my family and me.
I just have always known I was created for big things. Unfortunately for me, I have never been focused on one passion. I have multiple interests and tend to get bored very easily. I’ve always sought out the next challenge. I think that may be a personality trait of the only kiddo.
So, here I am with the question of what is next. I have currently gone full circle back into real estate. The pandemic really changed the landscape of how real estate transactions are conducted, and I am still afforded the opportunity to work from home.
The Problem Is…
I feel unfulfilled. I don’t feel like I am serving to the level that God has called me to serve. As I begin to navigate through this season of life, and explore what serving means to me now, I hope you will come along with me.
I’ll leave you with a question that I recently read, and it stopped me in my tracks…
In two words, what does success mean to you?
Share your answers in the comments.
Also, after many years of really focusing on Facebook, I have decided to give Twitter a shot. Go give me a follow on Twitter.
Talk to you soon…