What keeps me young

BYU campus at night

A month ago, my middle child graduated from high school, and four days later he started college. He joined his two older siblings at the same university. His departure marked the official day my nest tipped, leaving it now more empty than full. I'm not sure how it happened. I'm not sure when it happened. Just a moment or two ago, I was in my son's place--even at the same university--taking mind-expanding classes, washing dishes in the dorm cafeteria, having late-night conversations with roommates, spending long yet fascinating hours head-down in the library, walking home barefoot on intoxicating summer evenings, dancing in the street...all the while trying to figure out my future. Those were pivotal years marked by many seminal moments of learning and making key choices. 

And just like that, three of my children have taken my place. 

Yet, when they ask for advice about their majors and midterms, and they tell me about their rollercoaster relationships, time quickly compresses. This long-distance parenting keeps me feeling needed, vital, and...well, young. Most thrilling, though, is when my kids share something they've learned. Time melts away, and memories of deep, concentrated learning during my college years take me back to my 20s. Sharing ideas makes my mind feel young all over again! 

Although I no longer have the benefits or the pressures of being a full-time student, I continue to seek learning at every turn. I read magazines when I'm cooking; I listen to podcasts while I'm exercising; I tune in to news broadcasts when I'm mopping; I memorize new vocabulary words while drying my hair; I follow blogs and hunt for informative articles when I'm surfing the Web; I make my way through audiobooks while I'm carpooling and running errands; and wherever I go, wherever I am, I seek out good thinkers willing to share what they know. In short, I learn while I'm living.

Nowadays, when I see Facebook photos of my children standing in the very places on the very campus I did 25 years ago, I know I'm getting old. However, I also know when I continue to learn, we stand on equal ground, and I am still very much alive.