Ronna Benjamin
We got a great response from Ronna’s article Don’t Call me An Empty Nester. Vote Below For Your Favorite- the most votes gets a $100 Amazon Gift card:
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From Ann: Soaring Eagles– A friend of mine coined the phrase Soaring Eagles, which we adopted immediately.
Headed back to work, happily married, loving my yoga and eating good food. On to more adventures. I feel wiser than an emerging eagle!
From Monica: Living a ‘grown-up life’
From Victoria: Coming Of Age– The beauty of aging is the wisdom we gain in the process. Once you have finished rearing your children and they leave home, you have a new found freedom. The freedom of being on the receiving end, rather than the giving time of your life. Essentially, you are “Coming Of Age”, the time for yourself to embracing your age. To take time for yourself acknowledges a “Job Well Done”, and allows a change in direction for new adventures in this phase of your life.
From Ronna: Emerging Eagles- Eagles symbolize freedom, dignity with grace. Eagles have clear vision, and a soaring spirit. Eagles are courageous and stretch limits. They fly high and remind us to look at things from a new, higher perspective. The eagle brings the message of renewed life because it is associated with the east winds – the direction of spring, dawn and rebirth. “Emerging Eagles” remind us that we are about to take flight—that we are seekers– willing to push the limits of self discovery- that we should not accept the status quo, but reach high and become more than we ever thought possible. Besides, eagles make balding heads seem cool. And they have great looking nails.
From Alice: Sublime Season – a time of creativity, energy, self renewal and discovery. This phrase describes a time in life when we can reach the state of “Self Actualization” as coined by Abraham Maslow many years ago!
From Randi: Free Flyers-while we’re not there yet (still have 14 & 17 year olds at home), I agree with changing the lenses currently in use. Love the idea of successfully, & hopefully happily, launching our kids onto their natural next stages. also love the idea of being able to do what we want when we want … who’d of thunk it would ever be possible?!?!?! Flying free sounds adventurous & positive without throwing a negative connotation on the last 2 decades well spent on the important work of raising (again hopefully) great people.
From Heather: Re-nester—as in I RE-did your room and it’s now a guest room, I RE-did my guest room and it’s now a home office, I RE-did the office area and put in a TV room with a new couch that is actually clean and most importantly I RE-did my time schedule to allow me more time to go to the gym, work, play and read!
From Jackie: Second Lifers – I often say that I am almost ready to embark upon my “second life” now — doing the things that make me happy — including some of the things that I was too afraid to fail at in my youth. Now, I have a much different attitude regarding failure and rejection than I did in my twenties — I was too busy in my thirties trying to keep body and soul together, food on the table, a roof over our heads, etc. to even think about doing something that brought me joy. In my forties I confronted some of my demons, continued what I was doing in my thirties, etc. — I’m looking forward to my fifties — that’s going to be the “me” decade — that’s when I, hopefully, will get to lead my life — my second life, a life apart from — spiritually and intellectually, not necessarily in terms of distance — my husband and my child.
From Lisa: The Phoenix Phase– We’re rising from the ashes of our former selves becoming far more than we once were and finding new life. Our little birds have flow our nests and we’re out strutting our phat Phoenix Phase stuff. Though, that doesn’t solve the problem of what to call ourselves. Hmmm… Phoenix Phasers sounds a little Star Wars-like. Alas, that’s all I got though, my fellow Phoenix Phaser. (I do kinda like the alliteration of that.)
From Kathryn: Full Lifers– this is the term my husband coined- our kids are gone, and as soon as the dogs die we will be traveling to exotic places, visiting friends we haven’t seen since children, and expanding our lives. Not empty nesters but “Full lifers”. Since our kids have left I quit my job and we have started to travel, write, sing and dance- we have used airbnb and met glorious people on our trips and we are trying to figure out what is next…Must be interesting, engaging, with others and full of life- so Full lifers is the way to be.
From Debbie: Faboomers – a combination of “fabulous” and “boomers”
From Judy: Blossoming Butterflies
From Sheryl: HENS- it has the words “empty nester” still in it…but you don’t actually SAY them. It’s HENS. Happy Empty Nester S. As in: We are HENS.
From S: Free Birds– The nest is empty to allow us the freedom to be and do whatever we desire!
From Maura: High Flying Eagles- It picks up on the lift and the gain instead of the implied heaviness and loss.