Dear Friends,
Despite the fact that it is early on Sunday morning, the traffic outside my window
allows me to remember quickly that I am not in sunny Atenas right now but in
Queens! It is sunny here also and the repeated trills of a tiny yellow warbler who
is attracted to city living (or city insects!) reach me and motivate me to get out
of bed and begin my day in loving gratitude for another chance to breathe, engage
my intellect and enjoy the benefits of being alive.
New York, like cities everywhere in the U.S. are experiencing the hustle and bustle
that come with the end of the summer and preparation for a return to classes.
Whether it’s the little ones starting school for the first time, teens starting
their senior year, or in our case, our daughter starting her junior year in college,
these are important days in all our lives. Yesterday I tagged along as she picked
up her keys and headed for her room with part of her belongings and to meet her new
suite mates.
As I observed the milling around of parents with their incoming freshmen it brought
back memories of the bittersweet feeling just two years ago when we were also at that
milestone moment. We looked forward then to our daughter’s new chapter with great
optimism and pride. We were heartbroken and concerned just weeks later to learn
that her living situation with her three roommates (strangers) was not even close to
ideal and the solutions provided by her resident adviser were well-intended but not
helpful.
I did not want to project my angst or my anger because my child was having a hard
time. Despite my tendency to overprotect and try to fix everything, the actual
distance between us was an unsurmountable obstacle that restrained me. I knew
that we had to allow her to take the lead in this, the first of many transitions
that were to come into her life as a result of being with so many different types
of people with other perspectives and goals. Somehow she managed to successfully
(academically and socially) complete her freshman and sophomore years and it is a
confident, (mostly) independent and mature young woman who is beginning this
semester. I know from experience that many details take care of themselves and
that this is her moment and we must let her have it.
Have a wonderful Sunday and a terrific week, Marietta
Marisundays 