AARP Rewards Online Community Empty Nest Contest 2025

I have been an empty-nester for quite a few years. At first it was lonely. But slowly I regrouped, retired, moved closer to my grown child, volunteered fostering shelter dogs, and started reading a lot more (my favorite hobby). Now that grandchildren have arrived, I keep busy with them; also, volunteering on an HOA and learning watercolor techniques. 

I have found a variety of activities to keep my mind and body active and occupied. First I volunteer one day week for the American Red Cross doing telephone triage for community based disasters like home fires. Secondly I stay active volunteering at my fifty plus community center working on the advisory council to promote community, membership and programming. I also exercise, take art classes, day trips and participate in social activities at the center. Life is so full, fun and rewarding as an empty nester and disabled early retiree. 

As our nest got emptier, our nest seemed to get bigger! Too much house to clean and keep up so it was time to sell. Let's rent and take some time to figure out where we want to go, we have two kids in SoCal and one in Chicago, no one really nearby, so why not? Heh, what if we buy an RV and travel? Well, number 1, we have never had an RV and really never camped, but it does kinda sound fun! We were smart enough to rent one for a few days and decided we could do this, but we needed bigger and some creature comforts. We found the perfect Class A motorhome, sold the house, put the absolutely cannot part with items in a storage unit and handed the keys over to the new owners as we drove off in our motorhome! That was 4 years ago and we are still going strong. We have spent the night in our coach in all of the continental 48 states, we have been wintering in the Palm Springs area and traveling from coast to coast seeing things we never thought we would see. The landscape and geography diversity, the small towns, the wineries, the breweries, the presidential libraries, the interesting museums, the list is endless! Did I also mention it took a moment to sink into this lifestyle, but only a moment. There is nothing like driving to a destination, pulling out your chair and looking out over the mountains or the lake or the ocean. We are loving it and don't have an end in sight!

In one year I became a widow and an empty nester. After spending some time adjusting to my new situation by cleaning, re-arranging, and updating my home to make it more suitable for the lifestyle I imagined and wanted for myself, I began sewing again - something I had not done for years due to lack of time and space. I have found it deeply satisfying to make items to give to loved ones and friends as gifts - quilts, table runners, tote bags, wall hangings, etc. - and to donate to charitable organizations. It has also led to another passion of mine - collecting and restoring vintage sewing machines which is not only gratifying, but connects me with others who share my interests. I am sharing all of this many years after the fact and I can say that it all came about primarily because I decided early on to focus on independence and enhancing the lives of those I love.

Our kids’ school and sports activities had made up a large portion of our social lives so when they left for college, we had to learn to reconnect with friends and neighbors who were also finding themselves empty nesters. Staying social was a challenge for us at first since we had socialized so much with our children’s friends’ parents. We love to cook and entertain, so it was natural for us to host small dinner parties, cocktail hours, and BBQs. It was so important to us to remain social. 

My husband and I decided this is our time to enjoy. We have decided that our retirement goal is to visit as many national park as we can. We enjoy hiking, and biking. We volunteer at our local library. We also are enjoying once again our individual hobbies,  which had fallen to the side while raising our children. He enjoys woodworking. I paint,  watcolor and  aacrylic. We are living our best life while we are still  healthy and we can.  

I am slowly but surely refilling the Empty Nest with ME, MYSELF, and I. I'm pursuing my too-busy-to-do-before interests and hobbies, and just taking care of my physical and mental health.I have a more positive outlook as i consider my work, not as an everyday grind, but as a workout to further develop my social skills/emotional intelligence without worries of home responsibilities.Quietness at home means busying myself with arts and crafts, listening to music, and gardening, cooking anything I'm craving for and eating junk foods once in a while.My empty nest is not so empty at all as im rediscovering me, myself, and I.

An "empty nest" is no longer a reality for most in these United States. A decades-long race to the bottom has resulted in a situation where the vast majority of the population face difficulty making monthly expenses. Our children, who work full-time jobs, cannot afford the most basic safe housing, so they live with us at home. Maybe it is time to re-think our priorities. This idea of a carefree retirement of independent living existed briefly in our history for the past couple generations when wealth was more evenly distributed. But for generations before our grandparents' generation, the idea of an empty nest did not exist. For hundreds (thousands?) of years, a working family (often agricultural) lived as an extended family with multple generations living together as the most common living arrangement. The benefits for old and young are obvious in an extended family. But our culture needs to change to allow this. Heathcare, housing, transportation, and a reversal of the concentration of wealth by the top 10% all need reform.

GRATITUDE is my theme to Reconnect, Revel and Reinvent- thanks AARP & fellow empty nesters!

I am very much an empty nester. My children grew up and left home years ago and it took me a while to get used to it. But what makes it worse is that my husband just passed away a few months ago and my house is now very empty. Enter my whole life. I have never lived alone until I was alone. But I am learning how to cope and live a good life. Since he’s passed, I have taken four trips with at least three more planned. They aren’t very long, but it’s just enough to make things bearable when I come home. Plus, I’ve been to see family and friends that would have been difficult when he was still alive. I also feel my free time at home with volunteer work. I volunteer with the USO at least four times a month and I am a member of a crochet-knitting group in my community Where many of the projects that we work on are donated to charity. I have also joined the Ethel group and I’m starting to attend some of the local functions. I know I have a long way to go to get used to being a total empty nester.