I live alone now.

It’s not a sad thing, although I do miss my three kids, who are three truly fantastic people (said with complete objectivity). They are out in the world now, doing their own thing, and I could not be prouder. We keep in touch, mostly through randomly timed texts in which I deliver HUGE AND URGENT NEWS about how…

I have discovered that Walmart now carries Squishmallow cereal, or…

I scored new stickers for my Marvel sticker book from the lady in front of me in line at the Superstore, or…

I found a Snoop Dogg doll crochet kit at the bookstore that I am fighting with myself to not buy…

You know, the important things.

But despite the quiet in the evenings around here – which is sometimes a little too quiet, even for me, who prizes quiet above all – I am looking forward to this new chapter.

I feel like my life has been in thirds…

Young Lynn learning what it takes to survive…

Mom Lynn learning what makes a home…

And now Old Lynn (hm… perhaps we shall say, Mature Lynn?) learning what the wide world has to offer.

I have plans, and projects, and a busy job that takes me to exciting new places. I have a thousand possibilities to explore and I want to explore every one of them.

In a way, I feel brand new again. As much as my three kids are starting a new phase of life, I am too. Who will I become in this new age? What thrilling things will I dare to see or hear or make? Will I actually make a dent in the pile of books by my bedside, will I finally learn to speak Korean, will I finish that embroidery kit that lives on the coffee table?

It’s quiet, but it’s a busy quiet. Things are simmering just below the surface, ready to be created or constructed or simply contemplated in peace. There’s no pressure, just a constant soft buzz of anticipation. I’ve got the time to really live the hell out of this next chapter.

I live alone, but adventure rides shotgun. Let’s see how far we can go, shall we?