Daily writing prompt
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
View all responses

WordPress does a great job of coming up with some great prompts that require some reflection and some thought, which is never a bad thing. I’ve enjoyed writing about some of these, and this one just got some memories going! 🙂

The prompt asks us to describe a phase of life that was difficult to say goodbye to. I have a couple to talk about today.

My first phase, my 20s.

Oh my goodness, my 20s were so much fun! That extends from when we hit our stride in college to that young adult time period. I met, dated, and married my wife. We partied together, in our own friend groups, loving them and loving each other because social media, cell phones, all that nonsense were not there to make it icky!

My college best friend and I really solidified the fact that we’d be friends for the next thirty years.

We moved to Alaska, then to Missouri, then back to Iowa. We had our two kids, both of whom are now in THEIR 20s, making big girl money and doing their thing!

I loved my 20s. I wasn’t tied anymore ot high school stuff. That place, while there are good memories here and there, will never be my happy place. Many people celebrate their high school years, I survived. I was the dork in the corner, reading his AWESOME science fiction, hanging out in the band/music rooms, and just being generally uncomfortable with myself. I found my people in college and it made a world of different! Alaska cemented our relationship as husband and wife. We married in March, moved 3,000 miles away from friends and family in July, and went home a total of one time. We’ve often said, that was what made us who we are, an “us against the world” kind of situation.

And if I had to pick a second time, it would be my 40s. My daughters were old enough to take care of themselves, their fair animals, and do chores without too much issue. We did travel some, but since they decided to show cattle, our vacations were few and far between. We became more involved in middle school/high school groups. We were “those parents” who were at everything. One of our daughters comments later that, while it was sometimes embarrassing to have us there, they realized that we weren’t the norm, we were the exception, and that they liked knowing that someone out there was cheering for them. We’d been established on our acreage for a few years, figuring out gardening, lawn mowing, and care of different things. It was a different kind of time, watching our children grow into young adults, graduating from high school (not their favorite time either). The only downside to my 40s, that realization that no matter how much we got involved, we’d just be “those parents” because we didn’t have the right name or the legacy in the area. We knew going in it would be that way, but towards the end of our 40s, that really hit home.

I’m curious, I looked at my “life phase” in terms of decades: What is your difficult life phase you had a hard time saying goodbye to? Was it a decade? A few years? I’d love to hear yours! 🙂