What is Empty Resting?

I became an Empty Nester three years ago when my only child left for college. It was a difficult transition for several reasons. One, he is my only child. Two, it was in the middle of the COVID pandemic. And three, he moved to another state over 1500 miles away.

My husband and I had originally planned to travel when my son went away to college. Unfortunately, the pandemic made that impossible. Next, I thought the solution was to keep myself busy – to distract myself from the pain. And so as much as possible during the lockdown, I got busy. Busy crafting, busy earning my online Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate, busy reading, busy walking, busy, busy, busy.

And yet, three years later.... I am still struggling.

So instead of looking for activities, or people to fill the emptiness that I feel, I’m going to slow down the pace of my life. Cut back on activities and do some soul searching. Take time for me to do the things I never had time to do as an active parent, like take naps, read fiction, paint, write, dance, etc.

This is where the idea of Empty Resting came from. Rather than seeing this part of my life as something to merely endure, what if I embraced it as an opportunity to grow? What if this is the perfect time in my life to stop the crazy busyness of life and give myself permission to rest?

And so, rather than Empty Nesting, I am choosing Empty Resting.