As a child, I recall watching one of the Mad Max movies with vibrant clarity. The finer points of the plot lay beyond the scope of my young mind, but I knew I didn’t like anything about the world I witnessed on that screen (except Tina Turner’s outfits- she was awesome). .
I gave desert dystopian worlds devoid of the comforts of home, friends, and family zero stars. I would be a Rom-Com kind of girl, through and through.
But as I grew up and encountered more dystopian movies and books, my appreciation for the genre grew bit by bit. Always a lover of how books empowered my imagination to control their worlds a little, I enjoyed books like The Giver, The Hunger Games, and The Handmaid’s Tale. However, when friends and family dragged me to dystopian movies like Planet of the Apes, Blade Runner, and The Matrix, I bought myself popcorn and Coke as a consolation, then closed my eyes when the stark, cruel worlds overwhelmed me.
Once I became a mother, I didn’t realize I had created my own private dystopian world. But this has proven to be a truth I cannot imagine away.
Our family is in flux these days, with teenagers becoming adults. Our numbers are decreasing and will continue to decrease at a rapid pace. The emptying of a nest is an otherworldly experience for a parent. It is a dystopian reality that once existed only in theory but has been made real by some kind of magic we have no power to control with our imaginations.
On the upside, my husband and I now have time to walk. Have you ever noticed that a lot of dystopian movies and books involve walking through the new world to explore the terrain? This is very on-brand, and we are here for it, apparently.
Usually, the two of us embark on these walks alone. However, last week, we asked two of our kids to join us. They agreed, and when we got to the neighborhood swingset, these kids-turned-adults thought it would be fun to swing in the pitch black of night. Morgan and I sat on the park bench and watched as they used a phone flashlight to light the space where my son pushed my daughter higher and higher.
Sitting there felt like a return to how things once were, but it also felt like something altogether new. Allow me to scooch over on the bench and invite you to watch my amazing, wonderful, brilliant kids put on a delightfully nostalgic swinging show for their parents. I don’t have salty popcorn and fizzy soda for you, but I hope you can taste how meaningful this one big, beautiful life can be.
The empty nest is not a dystopian desert, after all. It is one chapter in the greatest story ever told about love and hope and living your dreams together with the people you love.
I give The Empty Nest five stars. Totally recommend.
