Empty Nesting

This past August I dropped my baby girl off at college.  The months leading up to it were hard, but the time following was worse.  I had days I didn't get out of bed.  I let food be my comfort.  I stopped working out.  I fell into a mild depression.

It's such a bittersweet happening... you have pride and excitement in your child going to college, but it's such a weird loss.  The house is much quieter, the rooms are empty, dinner is only for two.

Good meaning people say things like "well now you have time to do for you," "now you can find out who you are besides being a mom."  Really?  Finding out who I am is a lifelong event, not something that will suddenly occur because my children no longer live at home full time.  I take pride in being a mom.  It's been the most valuable role I've ever had, and the hardest.  But I also am a strong woman.  A wife.  A friend.  A daughter. A sister.  An employee.  And yet I've been struggling to grasp all of my other roles again.

But I can feel it all changing.  I feel lighter as the darkness fades away.