As the image of them timed out on my phone the screen went blank and the new image was a reflection of my own face. Soft reflective music put me in a melancholy mood about the future. Writing the senior grad ad had sloughed off some of my protective coverings. The ones that help me deal with age. But the older me wasn’t sad. The older me saw a new journey with new places to uncover. The older me was exhilarated. Like a cocoon that had kept me safe the old life was going away and there was not an ancient me but a new me. The new me was so wise and servant minded. The new me was excited about my own tomorrow. The new me saw endless possibilities in my new found freedom from the responsibilities of young children. With young adults as my children the reins are not in my hands any longer. I will still sit beside them in the carriage when they travel and navigate life’s roads but their course is in their hands. I will enjoy more things with them at the helm of their own adventures. I will still point out the beauty so that they won’t be so driven as to miss it. I will still mention the obstacles or warning signs but they will see them too. I will enjoy the ride as they choose their roads and fast or slow I will hang on tightly if only on the inside as to not discourage or frighten them.
The twists and turns might cause me to gasp but I will put out my hand and thank them for allowing me to travel with them once in a while. I hope they will bring me along frequently so I can hear their stories and watch them navigate. Tomorrow waits for all of us to reveal secrets and places and secret places where we’re caught off guard and caught up in it all. Just like the seasons, tomorrow is ever changing and morphing but that’s a good thing because with all the changes come the new things. The new things that take our breath away or make us sigh with relief or laugh out loud or swallow hard or shake our heads or drop our jaws in amazement. New things churn our emotions around inside. That’s what new does. It churns and challenges and changes us. My new time is now and it’s certainly going to be an adventure.