A funny thing happened on Saturday – I had no where to be.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I had been up early to board a 7am flight to Austin. During the trip I had worked through emails, paid for student photos (why, oh why, can’t I just pay for a digital version??), and tried to remember how to mix a podcast. I worked my laptop hard until the battery finally died. Switching back to my phone, I kept on until we landed.

Then, after a quick check in and change, I went to a local bike shop to rent a mountain bike. I filled up water bottles, grabbed a sandwich, loaded up a route, and started pedaling.

Stopping along the way to eat my lunch, I considered what had to be done before the conference started on Sunday afternoon, and realized…

I had nothing that needed to be done.

I had no where to be.

I had no one looking for me.

No one needed me.

It was weird. And left me feeling a bit melancholy as I considered the few years we have left before the kids fly out of our nest, when I assume I will have many more of these moments.

But it was also freeing.

And made me realize, that whatever we “lose” in the next phase, I will be okay.