Thought for the Day from Karla’s Korner: Looking Forward

Thought for the Day

I am proud to introduce a new column to Madame Deals! I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

Looking Forward….

As my husband and I sat overlooking the pool and lake in the clubhouse restaurant of our gated community celebrating the 25th anniversary of our first date this week I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. It is so hard to believe that that much time has passed and we are now what society calls middle aged. I was a mere 19 years old when David walked into my life and stole my heart. That seems like a lifetime ago. As we remembered our first date and all of the awkwardness that came along with it we shared our thoughts on where we are right now. David refers to this time in our life as the end of a race and the beginning of a new one. Being the writer that I am I look at it as if we are writing book two in our life story; a sequel if you will. You see, we are on the brink of having an empty nest. In a few short weeks our daughter, our firstborn, will turn 20 years old. She will no longer be a teenager and will be finished with her second year of college. Our son, soon to be 15 will be finishing his first year of high school in May which means we are one step closer to having two empty bedrooms and a whole lot of quiet in our home.

As we talked about how our lives are changing David and I find that while we loved being parents to little people, we are ready to embrace life as a couple again. We dedicated ourselves to being parents for a long time and now we are ready to begin thinking about the second half of our lives and what it is we want to do. Keeping in mind that we still have a few years until our son goes away to college we are working toward coming to terms with becoming parents to adults. When we made the decision to start our family we gave very little thought to the idea that those babies would grow up and leave. I remember the day we took our daughter to college and the grief I had. Even though I knew she would grow up and leave home one day I never thought about it until I turned and walked away from her as she stood in her dorm and waved good-bye. I was not prepared for the emptiness that followed.

Now, as time has passed and we anticipate the next few years of even more changes in our lives, we find ourselves looking forward to the next chapter. The exciting thing for us is that we really look forward to being together; after all these years, we still enjoy each other’s company. We are best friends.

Quite often parents of young children become overwhelmed and express how they can’t wait for their children to grow up. I find myself sharing with them that they should enjoy these crazy over the top chaotic little kid days because one day they will be over and they miss it. I do miss having little kids, but as that time in my life fades further into my past I begin to understand that there are certain things in life we cannot change; this is one of those unchangeable things.

I encourage those of you with small children to take notes, take pictures, make memories, and enjoy every single moment of those little kid crazy days. They are so important. However I also encourage you to create a little space in the corner of your mind and begin to think about a time when your children are grown and you are faced with an empty nest. Taking time to nurture your relationship with your spouse or life partner now is important for your future. When you find yourselves staring at one another across an empty dinner table it’s important that you be ready for the next chapter.

No matter where you are in life, I share with you a few words of wisdom from Elvis Presley “I believe the key to happiness is: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.” Well put Mr. Presley, well put.

Peace,

Karla

Check out all of Karla’s Korner articles for more thought for the day here. Also, please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.

Topic: Thought for the Day