Vertigo continues to plague me, but it didn’t stop me from heading into Chicago last night with my buddy Dave to catch a concert.  My friend Gerald Dowd was releasing his first album, and I didn’t want to miss it.  The show was great, and I’m still on a high today despite the cold rainy weather. What a night.

Today, I worked from home. My kids start school next week, and I told them we needed to go through their things to see what they’ve outgrown.  We ended up with a pile of clothes and toys to give to Good Will. When we finished, my daughter said:

“Mom, why don’t adults have to clean out their things?”

“Because we’re done growing,” I said.

I shuttered at my own words. 

Reader, I never thought I’d be a mother. It wasn’t on my life “to do” list.  But now that I am one, I’m usually shocked by the revelations that come with the job.  Today it hit me hard: we may not be physically growing anymore, but we’re still outgrowing old mindsets, old habits, and even old language.  I’ve thrown out more of those than I ever thought possible. 

And this afternoon, I symbolically chucked a couple old dresses in the Good Will box, just as a reminder.

As the summer comes to an end, let's remember that we grown-ups are never done growing.  If you have some feelings in your life that you’ve outgrown, feel free to join me in donating them to the sky.  Wishing you a week of celebrating your outgrowings, and I’ll see you next Monday. -Em