New Purpose in the Empty Nest

The brain is an absolutely amazing piece of equipment.

It’s ability to form new neural connections and learn something new is powerful tool we have to bring about change in our life.

My mom had a stroke and we were able to experience first hand the wonder of the brain rewiring and remapping (the brain creating new neural connections) in order to learn new and relearn old actions, words, speech and movements.

To better explain, let me tell you a story. We so far out on the edge of the city that you can almost say that we live in the country. Because of these surroundings we have fields, pastures and the woods. Many years ago, one of the pastures had been unoccupied for a while. Things were overgrown and it was in shambles. It was the perfect place for a young girl who loved the outside and loved to explore. There was a pond far away from the main fence line. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you had explored. A man brought a couple of cows and burro to the pasture. Those animals found a pathway to the pond and over time wore down a very defined and narrow pathway to the pond. The journey to the pond that had once been impossible now was very defined and easy to navigate. In the country we call it a “cow path”.

That is how our brain is when it comes to learning and doing something new. At first it may seem impossible or perhaps even frightening. But, over time as we continue to do the repetitive actions it becomes easier.

I’ve seen this with the cows, and I experienced it with my mother.

What does this have to do with an empty nest mom that doesn’t know what to do now that the kids are gone?

Everything.

Now is the perfect time to really dig deep within yourself and get reconnected with yourself. Now is the perfect time to learn what new things you need to focus your attentions on.

It is time now to discover what is most important to you.

What are your priorities? Folks value different things and there is no right or wrong things. But you do now get a chance to really evaluate yourself and decide what is most important to you. Once you decide, it is your stepping stone to finding your new purposes in life.

Tomorrow I am going to share with you a long list of words that represent values. They are the foundation values of our life. A short list would include: love, friendship, freedoms, security, spirituality, and fun.

For now, I want you to rest easy in the hope that as an empty nest mom you can find new purpose and meaning for your life. You are at a wonderful and exciting fork in the road of life where you can remake yourself! Get ready honey because you don’t get opportunities like this all the time!