Will They Miss Me While I'm Gone?

What will happen when I drop out of my normal life for a month?

I have three children. Greg is an adult and lives in Santa Rosa. If I'm lucky I see him once a month. I'm sure he'll "miss" me in the sort of passing thought; "I wonder how mom?" is way. (Note to self: Send him a link to my blog!) I'll miss him because I can't see him or call him.

Willy and Claire are both high school students at Pathways. They have never been away from me for more than a week so this is going to be a big change. How will this affect them? Will they miss me while I'm gone?

They are two of the most responsible "kids" I know, so they'll be okay!  When dad leaves for work in the morning the house will get very quiet so they may just sleep till 2:00.  Normally they take care of getting their own food even when I'm around so I don't worry there. (Note to self stock the frig and cupboards). Removing food from the frig before mold takes over may be an issue.


Actually, they should be busy much of the time: A two day backpacking trip and week in Yosemite are already on the schedule. When they are home there are plenty of adults ready and willing to transport them as needed: dad, grandparents, home schooling and 4-H families, Kiwanis and Key Club friends.

So will they miss me? You bet your life they will, just like I'll miss them every minute I'm gone. Okay in reality if I'm lucky enough to see a polar bear, I won't be thinking about them. On second thought I will be wishing they were with me to see it.

Then there's my hubby, Greg. In 30 years of marriage we've rarely been apart for this long. Both of us have had a couple 3+ week long  business trips and Greg had two longish projects with the Red Cross. The difference is that this time I'm going to a place with limited communication and absolutely no giving up and going home option. Sometimes I miss him when he's spends too much time working, so we are both going to missing each other .

In truth I think I'll be doing most of the missing my kids, husband, friends, and the whole Cloverdale community. They will all have each other, I'll have mostly strangers. But I'll have the untouched beauty of nature, the excitement of adventure and a once in a life time opportunity.  Hopefully, the trade off will work.

11 days and counting.