her beginning begins
I’ve mentioned before that Alex attended a tiny high school, and that her graduating class is extraordinarily close. As summer winds to an end, Alex asked if she could host some of her friends at a party at our house, before they all scatter across the world to attend their various universities. Marcus and I happily agreed, and on Saturday, they all came over for an alarming amount of barbecue and birthday cake (one of them had celebrated his 18th birthday the day before, so we decided to surprise him).
The party started in the late afternoon, but a small group of them stayed until 2 in the morning. Marcus and I could hear them in the back garden talking and laughing, and we’re so grateful that Alex has such good friends. They’re great kids.
It started to hit me this weekend that Alex is really, truly leaving for college. But my emotion isn’t sadness, at all. It’s something different. I mentioned it to my friend Asha, and she described it perfectly. “Yes, I remember that feeling with my son,” she said. “Like, suddenly, the operator was buckling my seatbelt in the roller coaster and it was about to take off. And I was like, ‘Wait. WAIT. I have to go on this ride, don't I?!’”
That’s the feeling exactly.
Today, the shipping company comes to pick up all of Alex’s stuff — it will be shipped directly to her dorm room for when we arrive in a little over a week.
It’s begun, friends.
with my usual advice.