I am at an inflection point.

In less than two weeks, my responsibilities will shift.  I will always be a full-time parent.  But I will no longer have any children living in my home.  During the college years, we had a revolving door rather than an empty nest.  Our children came and went every few weeks.  After college, one of them moved home for a year.  And then another one moved home for the next year.  Now the last one is making final arrangements for departure.

So, for the first time in 25 years, I will have a large degree of autonomy over my days.

Some of my activities will be the same: volunteer work, eldercare, home management.  Time with my husband; maintaining relationships with our children and wider family.

These things could easily expand to fill my days.  Maybe they will.  And maybe I will be ok with that.

But maybe they won’t.  Either because they won’t require that much time or because I will choose to put appropriate boundaries on them.

I am looking ahead to months of free-fall.   Of allowing myself the space to consider how to use my time.  Of trying things.  Of eliminating things.  Of being surprised by what I love and what I don’t love.

I am also looking ahead to a significant responsibility: to use this time wisely, usefully.

One thing is for sure: There will be a lot to think about.