July 30, 2014
I got home last night after a long, traffic-jammed drive home and had every intention of posting, but after I pulled out my computer and sat down on the sofa, I completely crashed. I was thoroughly exhausted! I am not sure if it was physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion, but I think it was probably a combination of all three.
After spending three full days with the entire family, my daughter went back to her internship in DC, my husband left at 5am Monday morning for a week of business travel, and yesterday I dropped my son off at the airport to fly to Singapore on a short exchange program with his high school. I went from full house to empty house in the space of about 48 hours! It is strange how empty a house seems when you have just been surrounded by the noise and love of the whole family … and then suddenly there is no one.
For me, last night was one of those moments when I realized, “Oh my gosh, it’s almost over; this time in my life is coming to an end.” It is such a strange feeling. My daughter left home much too early (in her mom’s eyes, haha!), leaving for college at age 16. My son is now 15 and I know his time to leave the nest is approaching much too quickly. I love watching my kids grow up and I think they have become such cool, amazing “grown ups,” but it does not make the realization of it any easier to swallow.
I am currently sitting outside in my beautiful backyard on a gorgeous day and wishing that my children (big version or small version) were running around playing. When everyone is home these days, we are usually running around playing frisbee, but now it is just me and frisbee is a difficult solo game. My husband comes home at the end of the week, my daughter in a little over a week, and my son will be home in a couple of weeks. I won’t have this empty home for long, but (wow!) the taste of it is sobering. In life, CHANGE is the only constant! I have lived my life around that motto, but when this big change comes … I sure hope I am ready for it.
Today’s song doesn’t have much to do with my post today, but I really like this song and the emotional impact the music has on me. I showed the video to both of my kids this last week. Make sure you watch the video all the way to the end. It was a little shocking to me! I said that it was totally depressing, my son burst out laughing, and my daughter just said, “WHAT was that?!” I would love to know your reaction to the video.
John Newman is a young (23-year-old), breakout, English singer and musician that seemed to come out of nowhere in 2013. This song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2013 and reached the top of the US charts in early 2014. He was one of the most successful English artists last year and was nominated for three Brit Awards in 2014 : British Male Solo Artist, British Single, and British Video. He has a very unique sound that seems to come from a bygone age and is described as soulful pop. He has often been compared as a male version of Adele or Amy Winehouse.
One of my favorite comments made by John Newman in an interview earlier this year:
“I couldn’t give a shit about fame … What felt good coming to America was walking down the street and no one knowing me. There are way too many celebrities in the world at the moment and not enough artists … People have forgotten about the music.”
Not Your Mom's Playlist 