Me: Congratulations!

              Zach: Thanks.

              Me: So, you’re still meeting up with your friends later today, right?

              Zach: Well, don’t we have to do adult stuff?

Yep, we now had to do “adult stuff.” As a parent, you look forward to the day your child begins his own career and moves another step towards adulthood. (Obviously all parents want their children to be truly self-sufficient. It’s still nice, however, to be wanted or needed.) For any young person who just graduated college (see Congratulations, Zach!), the adult world may appear as intimidating as when they first stepped onto a university campus.

It’s certainly understandable. “Old folks,” like myself, tend to forget about all the trials and errors, missteps, and miscues navigating the adult world. We’ve learned – hopefully – from our mistakes. Nothing, at first, seems easy. Then you begin to find yourself and your place in the world, and, before too long, you’ve become a “grown-up.” Or, for many of us – again, myself included – you play the part of an adult even though you’ve never truly grown up.

Making a new place into your own home.

We spent the next three weeks helping Zach move back to Atlanta and get situated into a new apartment. It was as exhausting and, at times, frustrating for us as it was for him. The “young adult world” has significantly changed since I was in my twenties. It was a learning experience for all of us.

As parents, we know that Zach has the confidence and common sense to make good “adult” decisions. We just hope he continues to lean on us when those inevitable “bumps in the road” occur. (It’s still nice to be needed every so often.)

Now comes the next phase in Zach’s journey to adulthood.    

Health Update – So, about that CT scan and my oncologist visit. Well, I had really good news twice in one day! My cancer tumors continue to either shrink or remain stable. My oncologist was so pleased that I don’t have to see him for another six months. Like I said, it was a great day!