There are a few “friends” in both places.  Somehow (okay, I know how) I ended up with two facebook accounts – one was made a long time ago and I forgot that I had it when I made the current one.

The first one had my maiden name and was inactive for a long time.  Long enough so that when my high school reunion came along and somebody had told the person that my husband had died – and something got lost in the translation and they took my name off the mailing list because I had died…(newsflash…I’m not dead yet).

I decided to add my maiden name to my current real name and deactivate the other account.   Just one of those interesting little things…so next time the reunions come along, hopefully they’ll see that I’m still alive and kicking.

Labor Day was my “self appointed” day that ends this summer from hell.

The first week of July, my daughter informed me that she was dropping out of college and moving out (that means that she’s staying with friends, but officially homeless and unemployed).

Also the first week of July, Phil left.

The beginning of the second week of July, I left my home to go stay with my mom when she was released from the hospital.

Also the second week of July, my son was accepted to Northern Michigan University.

• Amanda walked
• Phil walked,
• Tom walked for the semester
• Mom couldn’t walk at all.

I was not mentally (or even very physically) stable during that time.

For me…well, for most educators…the “New Year” isn’t in January…it’s Labor Day.

Labor Day means that I SURVIVED this summer.  I made it through.

~~~

My mental processes have to change.  I’m going to start leaving my phone in the office overnight.  I need to stop starting sentences with “Phil says…”  I need to stop my heart from leaping out of my chest when the text message signal goes off.

It is not that Labor Day is about choices I’m going to make…it’s about how I’m dealing with the choices other people have already made.

~~~

Yes, I’m a new empty nester…yes, I’m single.  Labor Day is the day that I set for myself to deal with those things in a healthier way.

I can’t get the lawn mower started.  It’s not broken…Tom can do it…I can’t.  That means, as a single woman, I either need to get an electric lawn mower that I can start, or pay somebody to mow my lawn.

I need to get somebody over to fix the roof.  I can’t do it.

I need to figure out how I’m going to deal with snow removal.

How to schedule exercise, homework, dr. appointments.

It’ll all get done…

It just got put on the back burner during the “hell season”.

~~~

Labor Day means the beginning of structure…getting into the rhythm.  Learning about life in this new life.

It doesn’t mean that I’ve moved from this spot…it just means that I am learning how to deal with this spot in a healthier way.

I’m still right here and I haven’t moved.

I survived.

And that was what the “deadline” was all about.  Just being alive at the end of it.

(Sunday is for Reformed)