See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joanna DelBuono
Brooklyn Daily
Three weeks down and I can finally pass Bri’s room without a lump forming in my throat. Yes, I’m adjusting to the empty nest. It’s been rough, but I’ve put my mind to it and I’m forging ahead at full steam.
In fact, even hubby Bob has had a dramatic turnaround. For the first time in our entire married life, he actually got up after dinner, grabbed a towel, and started to dry the pots in the drain board. Shock of shocks, shut the door. Now, it’s not that he has never dried a pot before, but it is the first time that I didn’t have to ask, nag or beg him to do it. He actually did it on his own. To compound my surprise, he even put it away — in its proper location! Can wonders never cease? So shocked was I at the momentous life-altering act that it took my breath away, and I would have keeled over had it not been for the support of my oversized bathtub of a sink.
Yes, empty nest most certainly has its benefits.
Aside from the obvious perks— the unfettered freedom, the renewed romance with your significant other, more space, less agita, peaceful rest and relaxation — there are all those hidden benefits that the self-help book fails to list.
There is the shocking reduction of the weekly food bill. The dizzying freedom of watching an entire TV show without one single interruption. A magical shrinking pile of laundry. A clean sink.
And last, but certainly not least, the biggest perk is the joie de vivre of using the bathroom whenever I want, whether I need to or not. Just using the loo for the heck of it. Sometimes I walk in and out, hit the flusher a few times, and enjoy the moment just for the sheer pleasure of being able to.
Amazing but true, Bob and I are not the only ones enjoying this revelry, our house is experiencing a renaissance, too. Yes, the house. It’s as if a giant weight has been taken away from the very fabric and core of the four walls, and it can now heave one big giant sigh of AAAAHHHH.
What has surprised me the most is that it ain’t even a month yet, and all this feng shui is sluicing through on a gusty breeze. Yes siree, empty nest has its rewards.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my Bri to pieces and there are times when I really, really miss her, but when she called a few days ago to inform me that she booked a bus ride home for the Jewish holidays, instead of jumping up and down with glee, I put the phone down and thought, so soon? Couldn’t she wait a little longer — like maybe Christmas?
Not for Nuthin, but who knew that empty nest could feel so good?
Joanna DelBuono writes about national issues — and her family — every Wednesday on BrooklynDaily.com. E-mail her at jdelbuono@cnglocal.com.