Missing My Kids at College: Why Am I Happy?
My favorite picture of my kids. 2009
Why am I sad?
I just got off the phone with our baby girl. My daughter, Kiera, started college a few weeks ago, she’s about 5 hours away. She used to be about 5 seconds away, down the hall or up the stairs for nearly 19 short years.
Why does my heart hurt?
Our baby boy and Kiera’s twin brother, Liam, also began his college career. A few weeks ago we dropped him off, he’s less than an hour away. It’s comforting to know he’s not far, but the feelings are the same.
Why do I feel empty?
We experienced this with our oldest, Tyler, many years ago. The feeling then was very similar, but different in many ways. We still had two other kids in the house, we weren’t “empty nesters,” yet. He’s off on his own now and doing well.
Why do I cry?
Every morning before I left for work I would walk down the hall to tell them I love them and say goodbye. They were asleep and rarely heard me. “Love you Sweetsie, love my girl,” “Love you buddy, love my boy.” Every morning for years and years. I still do the same thing every morning even though they’re not there. I walk into clean, organized, and childless rooms, and say goodbye to no one.
Why do I feel good?
My wife, Kathleen, and I remind each other that this is what we’ve worked for. Our kids are successfully navigating their lives and seem to be happy doing so. This is what we wanted, it would be selfish to not feel good about this.
We miss them like crazy, but we also love the time the two of us have together. We like that we don’t have to cook dinner every night, we can go out more, and there’s less cleaning or laundry to do.
So if you have college kids who just left this year, I hope you can look on the bright side even though you’re sad sometimes.
10 Most Beautiful Areas in America for Fall Colors
The fall season is a glorious time in America. From coast to coast, many different areas off beautiful fall colors in radiant reds, oranges and yellows. So, what are the most beautiful spots in America for fall colors?
Peak fall foliage season is different based on where you are located. Some areas of the U.S. see fall colors as early as September, while others peak later on, such as in October or even November. Generally speaking, areas with longer winters will have earlies fall colors, and areas with longer summers will have later fall colors. Most of America hits peak fall foliage season in the month of October. Of course, areas bordering Canada will be the first to see those colors.
If you’re wondering the science behind the fall colors, the color that the leaves become depends on a few factors. Those include the chlorophyll and weather conditions during the summer or fall. Chlorophyll is a pigment that aids in giving leaves their color. In general, big changes from the norm in precipitation, whether it’s getting way too much rain or not enough, can really impact the fall foliage season.
Also, I remember last year, the radiant colors in my area fell off the trees early. The reason was that we had a wind storm come through, so the leaves fell prematurely. I was pretty upset about it, because not only do I like to see beautiful fall colors, I also like to paint fall colors. So, my muse was gone.
That said, if you are in the mood to view fall colors this year, here are some great places to do it. Read on for 10 Beautiful spots in America for fall colors. What are your favorite areas to see fall foliage? Reach out to me on social media here and let me know.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
