Sometimes I feel like a moving to make it a clean break in effort to avoid the reminders. I think that would be what the professionals call “avoidance?” 😉
Walking past the kids’ empty bedrooms was always a gloomy feeling that calmed over time but never disappeared. My wife and I did move (from MA to CA) for better weather (feeling very smug lately when tracking your NE climate!). It did remove those visual triggers as a side benefit.
(We brought the dinner table with us, so still those empty seats!)
There is a sticker of a teenage mutant ninja turtle underneath the tabletop that one of my boys put there when small, so there are happy triggers too (and I love the table we designed and had fabricated in light ash wood)!
“Leaning into freelance, consulting, and stay-at-home parenting, I continue to take advantage of the opportunities it affords. It’s a path I chose to go down, not knowing where it would lead, a known-unknown.”
Brilliant paradigm for some folks, Jesse! Worked great for me, given my particular talents and vulnerabilities. Onward! 👌
Jesse, this piece is what I needed this week. Hunting, parenting, and negotiating the AI filled desert that is freelance work. All put together in a narrative of reflection in the woods.
This feels a bit like a tribute, an acknowledgment, and a hint of emptiness. A never-ending walk with glimpses into the ravine but also from its edge. Seeking the path, the one that is dense, hardly noticeable and how it trails to clarity, unmistakable tread, only to be obscured again by the vegetation, the shift in the clouds, a bead of sweat.
This, so beautiful: "Freshly bitten maple shoots and wafty brown hairs settled on the snow." A nod to what AI cannot do - generate stories with emotional value. Stories and words that deserve to be read.
Jesse, I love the way you wove in the different life aspects as if it were all a "trail" to follow, often not knowing how deeply you might have to travel to reach some resolution. Loved it!
Powerful piece. The trail vs path distinction really cuts deep, especially when tied to that sudden empty nest transition. It's wild how we spend 18 years on what feels like a cleartail, only to find ourselfs following scent into wilderness again. That moment with the four plates is absolutely crushing btw.
Thank you for reading and the comment. Yeah, the 4 plates is crushing and I am still doing it occasionally when I’m auto-pilot. I mentioned to another reader that perhaps moving would be the solution, but that would simply be avoidance.😂
This is definitely my favorite piece. So much to unpack and I realized I was stopping and wandering along my way.
Thanks, Eddie. Glad you liked it and enjoyed the wander!
“I accidentally put out four plates for dinner, but I only need three.”
Damn! I still look wistfully at the empty seats at the dinner table decades after they fledged and flew. The good old days indeed.
Sometimes I feel like a moving to make it a clean break in effort to avoid the reminders. I think that would be what the professionals call “avoidance?” 😉
Walking past the kids’ empty bedrooms was always a gloomy feeling that calmed over time but never disappeared. My wife and I did move (from MA to CA) for better weather (feeling very smug lately when tracking your NE climate!). It did remove those visual triggers as a side benefit.
(We brought the dinner table with us, so still those empty seats!)
That’s a good pro tip: “leave table behind.” My initial inclination would be to bring it because I made it, but it would definitely be “triggering.”
There is a sticker of a teenage mutant ninja turtle underneath the tabletop that one of my boys put there when small, so there are happy triggers too (and I love the table we designed and had fabricated in light ash wood)!
“Leaning into freelance, consulting, and stay-at-home parenting, I continue to take advantage of the opportunities it affords. It’s a path I chose to go down, not knowing where it would lead, a known-unknown.”
Brilliant paradigm for some folks, Jesse! Worked great for me, given my particular talents and vulnerabilities. Onward! 👌
Thanks, Baird. Yes, we’re kindred spirits in that way. Onward, indeed!
Sometimes, Jesse, reading your essays feels like a glimpse into the future. Great stuff.
And beautiful deer! Congrats.
I appreciate that Lou.
It’s funny to think about these different stages…no kids, with kids, without kids (sort of).
Jesse, this piece is what I needed this week. Hunting, parenting, and negotiating the AI filled desert that is freelance work. All put together in a narrative of reflection in the woods.
Cameron- That’s awesome. So glad it clicked; hearing that makes my day. It’s an overwhelming landscape at times, but also a liberating one!
This feels a bit like a tribute, an acknowledgment, and a hint of emptiness. A never-ending walk with glimpses into the ravine but also from its edge. Seeking the path, the one that is dense, hardly noticeable and how it trails to clarity, unmistakable tread, only to be obscured again by the vegetation, the shift in the clouds, a bead of sweat.
This, so beautiful: "Freshly bitten maple shoots and wafty brown hairs settled on the snow." A nod to what AI cannot do - generate stories with emotional value. Stories and words that deserve to be read.
A big ‘thank you’ for this Stacy. These are funny, circuitous trails/paths we follow.
And sometimes we conclude right back where we began.
Jesse, I love the way you wove in the different life aspects as if it were all a "trail" to follow, often not knowing how deeply you might have to travel to reach some resolution. Loved it!
Bradley- Thank you; so glad you enjoyed it!
Really appreciate the bit about a trail vs a path and the quote you shared. This is a great way to explain it and very much resonates
Thank you, Jenny. That’s my favorite part too 😊
Powerful piece. The trail vs path distinction really cuts deep, especially when tied to that sudden empty nest transition. It's wild how we spend 18 years on what feels like a cleartail, only to find ourselfs following scent into wilderness again. That moment with the four plates is absolutely crushing btw.
Thank you for reading and the comment. Yeah, the 4 plates is crushing and I am still doing it occasionally when I’m auto-pilot. I mentioned to another reader that perhaps moving would be the solution, but that would simply be avoidance.😂
Stunning piece, Jesse.