Being An Empty Nester Has Turned Me Into The Crazy Neighborhood Lady

How does that saying go? “You can’t be liked and be local folklore at the same time.”

I think that honestly there’s something to that. Because here’s the thing… I think the only thing keeping me from literally becoming a cartoon character is the fact that I have a daughter to raise and I am not trying to embarrass her all the time.
But also, like.. she’s at college now, and here I am hanging out in the downtown of a really cool city. This is finally my chance to be a part of something bigger than me.
There’s an emu named Dennis that comes and hangs around in the park. (He loves Nugget. So much.)

A little bit, I’d like to be that emu in my life. That is a thing that brings me joy. Which, as most of you know is basically my whole goal for this next whatever chapter this is of my life.
Like, right now— I’m sitting in a bar, next to a chef that just got written about in several articles. He’s cool. I’m not.
Maybe that’s it. Maybe the thing is I have to offer something to become local folklore? Maybe the fact that I’m the on-call tarot reader at the local witch shop?
That has to mean something, right?

I guess what I’m trying to say is, what’s legacy look like? As I step into this new phase of life, I’m super concerned and centered around legacy. What am I leaving behind. What does that look like for me? Who do I want to be remembered as?
It’s weird, and it feels wrong. What do I mean by that?

Im not even sure. My therapist is like, “You need to start finding your worth and realizing it.” And honestly, I can’t figure out what that means, because like on a totally real level— what does worth even mean anyway?
One man’s dumpster fire is another man’s treasure, right? Isn’t that how it goes?

Okay, so maybe I’m being like, a little overly dramatic… but seriously. One of the things I tend to do is tie my worth to my marriage. And since that’s also in the dumpster right now (if you’re still reading, spoiler. lol) I just don’t even know what that looks like.
And so, I’m going local folklore.

Who’s with me?