Our kids graduating is also a graduation for us.
My youngest daughter graduated from high school this week and I’ve been thinking about what it means to leave the nest.
Crow babies leave the nest between May and July. They fledge. They spend several days/weeks on the ground being taught by their elders how to survive and then eventually learn how to fly.
And that crow mama will swoop you if she feels worried about her babies!!
It’s graduation season and many of our young are doing the same thing. They are leaving the nest and learning how to survive in the world on their own.
But unlike crows, I believe our process to fledge can take a lifetime. We start and try on adulthood, then we stop and start over so many times as we learn more about ourselves, as we evolve, and as we find new things to pursue.
I watched all of those bright faces crossing the stage. I saw their faces glowing with the joy of independence and a new start. I saw their belief in themselves and their understanding that their lives could literally go in a thousand different directions.
But it seems like somewhere along the line, we lose this optimism. When does change stop feeling exciting and become so fear-inducing?
Our kids graduating is ultimately also a graduation for US, for the parents. It’s a new beginning. Are we terrified? Are we grieving? Are we thrilled about the freedom this represents? Are we excited about the thousand different directions OUR lives could go from here?
Maybe it’s all of the above. It’s grief, relief, pride, excitement, fear…
I’m realizing that I want to reignite that excitement, that belief in our endless potential. I want to approach transitions with the same elation that I saw on the faces crossing that stage.
And we can do this. We have fledged before. We can approach transitions with the optimism of our youth.
We have wandered around on the forest floor learning how to navigate before. We have taught ourselves to find food and survive on our own.
So I’m curious:
What part of your life is asking you to begin again?