Upheaval

No, the sky did not fall on our heads.

No, there was no earthquake, no hurricane, not even a big storm. No flash flood, no worsening of the drought, so water rationing, none of that.

And yet, it feels as if something has crashed and landed right on our house.

It's nothing big in and of itself.

Well, maybe it is. My oldest went to college and moved into a dorm. Still, she didn't move out of state, she's still forty minutes away and I can bring her whatever she's forgotten almost at the drop of a hat.

But she's moved out.

And the youngest has started high school.

No, I don't feel old. I feel proud. I know, I'm kinda weird, but you knew that.

If that's all it was, I'd be sitting here working on my edits and grumbling at all the interruptions.

But of course, in this family, nothing is that simple. For one thing, transitions happen with high drama. Even so, by now, I'd be sitting here working, etc.

But the minivan, the mom-mobile sometimes appropriated by our oldest, has had a meltdown. Literally. The fan went out and melted some wires and some hoses. And they're having trouble finding replacement parts.

Any other week, we'd shrug and handle it.

But the first week of classes? And of course this would be the week when I have appointments and errands I can't postpone.

The strangest thing of all is that not one member of our family has had a real meltdown over this yet. I really expected someone to start pacing and moaning and grumbling, or whining and crying and complaining, or something. Something. I mean, the timing is really awful.

But no. Somehow, we all went into a we'll handle it mode.

What's wrong with us?