I went to my first-ever Texas A&M Aggie Moms Club meeting the other day and I have to admit I was a little bit nervous at first. We've all experienced it - the uncertainty of going somewhere you don't know a soul, not knowing if you'll make friends or even fit in.
I shouldn't have worried. The Aggie Moms made me feel welcome immediately, even forgiving my obviously bad decision of carrying an orange purse (orange, as you know is the color of our arch enemy, The University of Texas in Austin, a/k/a "the OTHER university"). The Aggie Moms quickly forgave me my mistake and corrected it by giving me an official "Aggie Moms" tote to disguise and hide the offensive orange error.
While visiting before the meeting, several of us were discussing being brand new Empty Nesters. We traded stories of adjusting to a much quieter house, with only the family pets to keep you company. Sympathy and heartfelt encouragement were offered by the moms who have already experienced this trying, emotional time, and we first-timers consoled each other and traded news of when our fledglings would be returning home for their first visits, followed by lots of sad head shaking and deep sighs all around.
Finally, one mom, with a twinkle in her eye, admitted that maybe this empty nest thing wasn't all THAT bad. There's less cooking, cleaning and laundry and she and her husband had actually gone on a spur of the moment date night during the week, without having to worry about anybody's dinner but their own and the dog's.
Another mom chimed in that she and her husband had tried to go on a romantic get away weekend, but they couldn't get anyone to watch their pets, so they had to stay home.
We stood there, silently considering this new phase in our lives, both the positive and the negative. At last, one brave mom voiced the thought we were all thinking. "So, what's the life expectancy for the average family pet, anyway?"
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