Bryan Dear’s Blog

You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.
- Abraham Maslow, 1908 – 1970

It’s been a year since our youngest child (one of two) has moved on to college. They are still dependent upon us both emotionally and financially, but much less so. And our day to day lives are so much simpler – if you don’t know, it’s only because you haven’t been there yet – here’s a big hint – the house stays clean and the  grocery list is shorter. It is a simpler time. It is a time to gather ourselves and ask – What next?

So our empty nest becomes a next – My wife and I are in our fifties. The road is wide open. The business we have has a good foundation with excellent people and a plan to keep us going forward. They don’t need me.

So what do I need?

• A fitness plan and diet plan
• A relationship plan for

1. my wife,
2. my family and
3. my friendships

Blah, blah, blah.

Who wants to hear about the plans? Nobody that’s who.

Still, I want to have a rough script for the above so I can do the fun/important stuff with good mental and physical health.

• I want to travel
• I want to learn a new language
• I want to follow in the footsteps of a lot of people I admire
• I want to see my children grow
• I want to give through my labor or my talents
• I want to keep my blog interesting
• I want to play
• I want hope in my heart!

So bear with me in my empty nest… my empty next… my empty next quest.

Stay tuned  -

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz.

Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.      David Lloyd George, 1863 – 1945

Freedom – melancholy – delight – sorrow – questioning…

I suppose the empty nest many times means freedom. This seems to be especially true coming from parents with children under the age of fourteen. These parents are generally in the thick of it and a world without children seems like a far away world. 

Without children, including our current senior in high school, we will have a house that stays clean, dishes will not be found all over the house, piles of clothes, backpacks, and shoes will not be tripped over as we enter the house, the amount of food and beverage necessary to keep on site will greatly decrease and the motherly reminders will be silent. So yes, there is much less energy necessary to drive the house.

On the other hand, I played a lot of basketball and ping-pong with my son, listened to his music (a little hard at times, but at other times a lot of fun), met some really neat people through him, got to see him grow and struggle with the high school stuff – girl friends, home work, swimming, and college choices. Of course those are the one I know about. And I enjoyed the general wonderment of watching it all happen. I’ll miss a lot of that.

He’s on to his next adventure – we’re on to our next adventure. I’m ready to watch him grow and stretch some more, but from a distance. I’m ready for the next step – whatever that may be – and I do have ideas.

Empty nest – it’s a departure for us. It’s an adventure too.

Here’s to wings.

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz