12 Days to Go

I am relaxing on the back porch. Potatoe is outside barking at whatever the noise is on the other side of the fence. Storme is looking annoyed at Potatoe’s disruption of our peaceful setting. The kittens, as they will forever be known, are both taking naps in the living room. Potatoe just interrupted Storme’s sneak attack on a bird that was perched in the yard. Storme is again looking annoyed.

Brainy Bird just asked me what all the chores are for the week. He wants to get everything done today, so that he can focus completely on college scholarships on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, we will both be taking off to enjoy Christmas as a family.

The chore in progress right now is grocery shopping. I am going to miss having Brainy Bird do the grocery shopping for me when he is away at college next year. Both of the boys went on the shopping trip. They had to return about five minutes after they left the house because Little Chirp forgot his mask. This is commonplace to the point that Brainy Bird no longer gets upset over it.

We are having leftovers for dinner tonight, so that is one less chore. Leftovers will be followed by movie night. I want to watch a Christmas movie, but I am prepared to be voted down. This Christmas is going to be simple. I did not spend much on gifts. Money is tight right now, but I feel that the bit that I did spend will be hugely appreciated.

Brainy Bird is excited about his future. I have no doubt that he will be 100% focused on his college scholarships this week. He spends a great deal of time researching the schools that he has applied to, learning about the cities they are in, and mapping out his degree program.

I find myself reflecting on a conversation that Brainy Bird and I had during the Covid shutdown. Okay, it was much more like an argument. It was in that moment that Brainy Bird took control of his future. This meant giving up his dreams to go to MIT or an Ivy League school. This meant learning a great deal about the concept of return on investment (ROI). This meant giving up a great deal of time with his friends, so that he could work on college applications and essays.

He has more than lived up to the commitment that he made that day to become independent. He already has one college option that he can take loans for to pay his own way without massing absorbent amounts of debt, and he has several opportunities at other substantial scholarships. The next couple of months will be a roller coaster ride of acceptance and rejection, and he is definitely ready for it.

He knows what he wants in life, and he is planning his roadmap to get to where he wants to be. He is embracing triumphs along with the tribulations, and he is learning to take things in stride. Brainy Bird is now the pilot of his own future, and he is ready to take flight.