We've all heard of Empty Nest syndrome, when parents feel lonely after their children have moved out of the house for college or marriage or whatever. I believe there's something to such a big life change (and Lord knows I've had my share of those in the past few years!) And the next one on my horizon is nearing-- I finish grad school in just a few months. Sure, ideally I'll be working at a fabulous job that I am excited to go to everyday, that challenges me, that pays me well and affords me the opportunities outside of work that really add to life. Now, if any part of that doesn't unfold just so, what ever shall I do? Well, I've been crazy busy throughout school and I told my friends that I wasn't going to volunteer for anything for a year once I start work. No clubs, no organizations, nothing. My friend Amy said she's looking forward to when I'm no longer the busiest person she knows. I told her that I'm going to come home and stare at the wall and love not being stretched every which way.
...of course, I'd like to be less busy, but literally doing nothing doesn't exactly sound ideal either. Well, not for long. I was talking to a woman in our alumni department recently and she was talking about all of the things she creates at home. I've wanted to learn how to sew, and whipping up a simple, cute skirt or curtains or anything that's well-made, really, would be so nice! That, and I've studied French, but Spanish has become so much more prevalent and useful it seems (especially in a post-Katrina Louisiana, but plenty here in the DC area) that it may be a good thing to study. Perhaps these will be my solutions to my Empty Backpack Syndrome?!
What other things do you do to pass the time? What are your passions that you'd get into if you could? What do you love to learn or would you study if you could get to it?
