AARP Rewards Online Community Empty Nest Contest 2025

[AARPTeri]

Now that the nest is empty, it’s your time to soar — and we want to celebrate your journey with AARP Rewards!

Join the AARP Rewards Connect Forum for a fun, feel-good contest focused on how you’re embracing this next chapter — and share your story.  Starting Monday, September 8, 2025 reply to this post sharing ways you are reconnecting, revelling in downtime or reinventing your weekend. 

We look forward to seeing your great posts!  Official Rules can be found here  -https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Online-Community-Empty-Nest-Contest-... 

[TerryannR782100]

LOVE IT

[KristBelt]

I have been an empty-nester for quite a few years. At first it was very lonely. But slowly I regrouped, retired, moved closer to my grown child, volunteered to foster shelter dogs, and started reading a lot more (which is my favorite hobby). Now that grandchildren have arrived (yay!), I keep busy with them; also, volunteering on the HOA board and continuing to learn new watercolor techniques. Life is full again!

[p114808s]

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. 

[Zackmum]

Becoming an empty nester has been one of the most emotional and eye-opening transitions of my life. For years, my daily routine revolved around taking care of my family and school schedules, dinners, and all the little moments that filled our home with noise and love. When the kids moved out, the quiet hit me harder than I expected. I was so proud of them for starting their own lives, but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling a little lost.

The house suddenly felt too big, and the silence felt unfamiliar. I realized how much of my identity had been wrapped up in being a mom and how much of my time had always been devoted to others. But as the weeks went by, I began to see this new phase differently...not as an ending, but as an opportunity to rediscover myself.

I’ve begun focusing more on things that make me happy: spending time outdoors, trying new recipes, and taking small trips that I’d always put off. I’ve also found more time for self-care and reconnecting with my spouse and friends. It’s been freeing to rediscover who I am outside of my role as a parent.

While I’ll always miss having everyone under one roof, I’ve learned that becoming an empty nester doesn’t mean losing my purpose...it just means finding it in new ways. This stage of life is teaching me balance, independence, and joy in the quiet moments I never used to notice.

[SereneSeagull]

Sounds active and fun!

[CharleneR318374]

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!

[VedaC822963]

That is awesome. Enjoy each day to fullest.

[SereneSeagull]

Fantastic!

[vfinsterwald]

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.

[SereneSeagull]

How wonderful to collect and restore old sewing machines.  Curious what the oldest one in your collection might’ve been.  Very cool!

[mz4814]

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. 

[JulieP285909]

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.  

[MarleneC324418]

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.

[SereneSeagull]

So important to put yourself first, I applaud that.  Enjoy!

[gp6241]

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.

[SereneSeagull]

I disagree.  Prudent planning, saving, hard work, wise decisions, smart investments, all play a part in our outcomes.  

[ElC161570]

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

[SereneSeagull]

Love that!😀

[ssbeagle]

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. 

[SereneSeagull]

What was your favorite project that you all worked on, in your crochet-knitting group?

[JessicaL536993]

I began my emptiness by moving into a smaller home downsizing with my new fiancé over the last eight years I missed my kids and grandkids terribly even though they lived about an hour away so last year we took the plunge I bought a house with my two daughters and two grandkids and my son lives a few blocks away now I have my emptiest nest on the first floor my daughters live on the second floor and my grandkids live on the third floor I have said yes to so much more so many more bike rides and walks and school and community events, soccer games the beach I stamped my passport at least four times and four different countries now this is really what I call living in the empty nest dream!!!!

[cs9302]

My life is substantially different from that of the other folks who are responding to the "Empty Nest" subject.  I've always lacked maternal instincts (at least for human babies); so my cohabitants have always been cats...and, occasionally, men. 

At this point, co-living with men has been "off the table" for half of my lifetime.  As for furry-purries:  I can easily afford food and litter...and, of course, my undivided attention and love...but I can no longer afford their medical bills.  (And even when I could take them to the vet, it was heart-wrenching to lose them as they aged...)  

So...I have pivoted my love for cats to the occasional house+pet-sitting gig.  I've expanded my love of animals to include dogs; and I "get my 'kitty fix'" a few times per year.  I think it's a reasonable compromise, and it's a win-win for everyone.  

[DeborahN139706]

Unchartered territory for us --worrisome but exciting at the same time. We will always be available for our children but are looking forward to developing new hobbies and just spending time together.. It's been a while since my husband and I can truly focus on each other  and embrace how we've grown over the years. Our new mantra every day is times change, people change and people change things. Enjoy the journey.

[DeniseH356601]

Spending more time together by going on dates and focusing on us as a couple.

[BradleyE4325]

I've always been a huge music fan, but being responsible (financially and otherwise) for raising a child has meant that I couldn't go see all the concerts I'd have liked to over the years. After becoming an empty nester, I moved up to Connecticut from down South and discovered, to my delight, that everybody tours between Boston and New York. I made up my mind that I was going to go see everybody whose music I'd loved throughout my lifetime before they retired or passed on. In the past three years, I've been to more than 75 concerts! And what a lineup it has been: The Beach Boys, Pentatonix, The Killers, Bruce Springsteen, The Smithereens, Marshall Crenshaw, John Fogerty, Graham Parker, Boz Scaggs, Don McLean, America, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Roger McGuinn, The Doobie Brothers, Rockapella, John Sebastian, Emmylou Harris, The BoDeans, Rosanne Cash, The Mavericks, Nick Lowe, Jeff Lynne's ELO, Five For Fighting, Boyz II Men, Patti LaBelle, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Rodney Crowell, Mumford & Sons, Coldplay, Bonnie Raitt ...

[bh8736]

We had really lived separate lives because of our different careers. My husband was an economic development planner and I was a university teacher. Now that we are empty nesters, we have created a company and do consulting together. It has been amazing because we spend so much time together and have a common goal: Doing the most that we can for our clients. It has helped us relate to each other much better because we can celebrate the "wins" together.

[lj9807492]

 Hard to go through, 'cause it's a game changer, for sure. But once we settled into our new life, we did a lot of stuff that needed done; projects we put off for years. After we got tired of that, we checked off some things on the "bucket list"   A Panama Cruise (A-mazing), driving through the Appalachian Mountains to take in the fall foliage, and more travel to learn about all the beautiful scenery, cultures and people that make up our Country's regions. We visit our family and friends more often and have made new friends too. And we always look forward to holidays, when our family comes together again.  

[YvetteR940350]

I absolutely love the freedom! I love not having to get up in the mornings and get ready for work. I love not having the stress of working. Some people miss work, but not me. I have time to swim, go to exercise class, volunteer, and walk my Belgium Malinois. When my husband and I travel, I don’t have to get time off approved from HR. Please pick me. 

[cryssicc]

Revel in Downtime:

For the first time since 1982 when I was pregnant with my first child, I have an empty nest.  I haven't spent money or time on myself for over 40 years.  It is such a strange experience for me.  I purchased a new pair of shoes, but it took me a couple of months to throw out my old old tennis shoes.  I've purchased new underwear and a few new tops.  And it is starting to feel good.  I can watch a program on TV or read a book without being disturbed.  I almost don't know what to do and have to get up to walk around a little bit because it is such a new experience.  But I love it.  I didn't think I would, but I am loving my free and peaceful time!  I know this isn't very exciting, but for me it is a whole new world!

[CeTraveler]

Once I was on my own, I began a quest to hike in every state park and historic site in Missouri. There were 95 places on the list! It took me 16 months to complete.

I got lost more times than I can count. GPS guided me down gravel roads, had me ford shallow creeks, and led me to a state park boundary that had no entrance.

One morning my key fob stopped working. Who thinks to carry extra batteries for their key fob while they are on a road trip? Kudos to those of you who do. After someone gave me a lift to an auto supply store, I replaced the batteries and was on the road again.

I encountered vultures roosting in sycamores and bald eagles soaring over the Mississippi River. I had a ripe persimmon fall on my head. I slipped in the mud and fell flat on my face doing the Jingle Bell hike. I got back up with the help of my hiking stick and wiped myself off with a few napkins I had in my backpack. So what if I looked like something that rose out of the swamp. I wasn't leaving until I rang every bell on that park's list!

On the Ozark Trail at the fringes of yet another state park, I climbed up to a cave. I used my phone for a flashlight, but the cave became too narrow to go any further. On the way back down, I slipped on loose rock and almost fell off a cliff. What saved me was my hiking stick, which gave me enough friction to stop my slide and regain my balance. 

Many places were remote. It didn't surprise me when I found a fresh bear track, but it made me uneasy. Not long after seeing the bear track, I heard rustling in the underbrush nearby. I wanted to turn around and run. Instead, I froze. My fear turned into laughter. It was an armadillo.

Even though there were a few close calls, my journey was filled with wonder. I am looking forward to my next challenge wherever it takes me.