We made it through another COVID year and are embarking on another one. The newest variant is hitting hard and people are having a hard time staying healthy. Everyone’s mental health is teetering on the edge. Okay, maybe not everyone’s. Maybe just mine. Somehow, I think I am in good company.
This new year has started with a bang at my house.
It’s understood that when we have children that they will one day grow up to be adults and leave us. We know it but really don’t expect it. We think that those cute little people will be cute little people forever. As these same kids become adolescents who shorten your lifespan, you become convinced that you have failed as a parent. And then, something miraculous happens. Maturity sets in rather suddenly. It’s as if the electrical connections finally find one another and the light goes on. Isn’t it true that the prefrontal cortex is not fully formed or functional until the age of 25? Magic happens.
This week, my oldest child was approved for his first apartment. In another state. And is about to open his own business with friends.
If you had told me just five or six years ago that this same person would be an entrepreneur and embarking on his own, I don’t think I would have believed it. If you had told me 10 years ago, I would have laughed in your face.
But here we are, in 2022, and I have a child who is an entrepreneur – and about to leave the nest to start a new life in a new state. His pursuit of his dreams are relentless. Even when his anxiety begins to show its ugly face, he somehow is able to refocus on his vision, evaluate alternative solutions, and keep going.
Truthfully, I am envious. He knows exactly what he wants to accomplish and a timeline that he wants to do it in. He knows that there will be obstacles and there is incredible risk. He is undeterred. I am so proud.
So many things I never anticipated.