Xander Week 8 - Times, they are changin’….
November 17, 2006
When I step back and look at where we are at in our lives - new baby, house, steady jobs, etc. I can see that Zach and I are full blown adults with all the responsibility that comes in that package. As I look around at our friends, I realized with a little surprise that we are not the only ones in this boat. Several of our friends are now in similar spots with their own mortgages, expanding families, and responsibilities coming out their ears. In my head, I’m still a recent college graduate, in regular contact with many of my college friends and we are all still in that relaxed college mindset.
So, it’s kind of a shock to remember that I graduated almost 5 years ago, and that almost all of my friends did as well, and that we are no longer drinking until the wee hours of the morning most weekends - we’re going to bed earlier, and getting up on Saturdays to go to the dump or go grocery shopping. And, instead of sleeping in, we’re up early with the baby, and perhaps the most scary thing, it seems normal to get up earlier on a Saturday, and I’m not that tired. I think it’s the difference in sleep patterns that makes me feel old the most. I’m not going to sleep at 8pm yet, but by 10pm I’m ready to find my bed and perhaps read for a little while before I sleep (well, nurse the baby these days…) and if I get up at 7am or 8am, I feel refreshed, and if I sleep past 10am I feel like I’ve wasted my day. It’s kind of a weird feeling to see yourself settling into patterns that you remember your parents having when you were a kid, and it makes me miss that carefree feeling I had as a child with a whole day of possibilities in front of me. I hope that we can give Xander that carefree feeling for as long as possible…
I know how you feel. It is a little scary but exciting at the same time. Its almost like reliving your childhood.
Hi Melissa - that’s an excellent way to describe it! Now I understand how parents live vicariously though their children.