R-Day Plus One Week

One whole week of the dreaded Beast Barracks is already gone... Time flies, even when you're not having fun.

It's hard to imagine that exactly one week ago we were traipsing all over West Point with our mouths hanging open in absolute awe of the our magnificent surroundings, and now we are, amazingly, safely home.

Other than unpacking and feeding us, the last week was invested mostly in staying in e-touch with the other 2012 parents and playing "Where's Waldo?" with all the new pictures that keep appearing online. That may be my new career.

I keep thinking of those pre-computer-days families who had to leave their kidlets in Army hands and then wonder, wonder, wonder... while thanks to computers, we know, even though we don't hear directly.

So far, I am still in pretend mode. In the morning it's easy to pretend M is sleeping late. During the day it's easy to pretend he's at school. At night it's easy to pretend he is at a speech meeting. Weekends it's easy to pretend he is on a speech trip. If I look at it that way, I don't have to miss him at all.

But I really need to stop expecting him to show up for dinner or to call saying he's on his way. I need to stop lying half awake at night waiting for the squeak of the door to announce his late arrival. It's time to man up and start taking my life in hand. I'm all mine now, sorta, and it's time to start taking care of myself. My health, my $, my house, my interests...wow, whatever I want to do, I can do.

Now if I can just figure out what exactly it is I want to do...