Cyber Monday And Finding Your Happy Space

The Thanksgiving Holidays are over and here I sit, in front of my computer ready to start the next Holiday season with a few purchases bought online.

I find the Monday after the Thanksgiving break to be one of the most difficult days for the empty nest parent.  The kids have returned to their college or just back to their own towns and the transition is odd, to say the least.  The house is quiet...too quiet.  You are tired from cooking and entertaining and yet, somehow, you are hungry!  There are a million things to do as the Holiday season is just around the corner.  And yet, don't you just feel like taking a long soak in the tub or spending the afternoon at the spa?!

My holidays were different this year as two of my three children spent the break at my sister's house.  They are much closer in vicinity to her home and we discovered that flying home for Thanksgiving from college is too expensive and not really worth the hassle of flying in such a busy time.  They enjoyed spending time with their cousins, relaxing, laughing, going to movies and sporting events.  They called a couple of times to see how 'ole Mom was holding up, too.  My oldest son Andy and his fiance, Kim, kept us company for Thanksgiving dinner and one other evening.  My husband had a lot of work to do during the holiday weekend, so I was left alone to read and spend time with Wrigley.  My transition was not as difficult as it must have been for so many other empty nest Moms, but I still have an odd feeling in my gut today.  My sister and me describe this feeling when we are attempting to find 'our happy space'.  The happy space is the place we mentally take ourselves when all is not completely right in our world but we are coping and making ourselves happy in some fashion.  The thought is, if we are in our happy space, then we can make it all better for those people around us.   There are a lot of ways to get into the happy space.  Some people exercise; although I honestly can say, that doesn't work for me.  That only takes me to my 'sore place'!  Some people dive into the details of the upcoming Holidays.  As long as you like doing Holidays details and not just avoiding the lonely, sad feelings than sometimes come with empty nest transitional periods, then I say...have at it.  You are probably my friends who get their cards out early and already have their Christmas trees up! I enjoy the Holiday details, but not quite yet.  I prefer to wait until it's December.  Diving into work and your career can keep you busy and maybe will take you to your happy space, but that never worked for me, either.  And so, for the rest of us in the world desperately looking for our happy space, we turn to SHOPPING!  Isn't that how 'Cyber Monday' all started, anyway?  No, I know it's not how it all began (I read the papers),  but I am hoping I will find some really unique gifts for family members and friends today online.   

Now, where to begin?  Maybe I will shop In Rome (Italy, not Georgia!) or London.  I would really like to know where the young investment bankers living in NYC like to shop, and then visit those websites.  Anyone have any suggestions for me?

An excellent choice, of course, is to shop from the 'WORTH Collection' from me or my sister!  Email me at beth@emtnester.com and I will help you with your gift buying.  You can see the Fall and Winter lines at http://www.worthny.com.  This would actually put both you and me and maybe even my sister, into our 'happy spaces' all at the same time!

I think one of the best items this year to give any woman on your list is a scarf and Worth has so many beautiful ones this time of year.  There are silk ones, soft cashmere ones and warm woolly ones and they all come in this beautiful silver box.  And they are cheap to mail when your loved ones live far away.  I think in the next couple of days, I will show them all to you.  You're welcome!

Seriously, I hope you all find your happy spaces today and anyone who has gone through yet another empty nest transition period, that you are well and coping.  We deserve to feel good and happy on this 'Cyber Monday'!