empty nesters

My parents returned to Henderson, NV this week. Which means I am officially alone in this city. And they'll find themselves in an empty house in Henderson for the first time also. One that's been standing empty for the last 4-ish months, nonetheless. I'm having withdrawals. I hate being the only one here and knowing that the nearest family member is 3+ hours away. I realized today that that's the furthest I've been from family since I left home. I don't care if I'm being a baby about it. I'm only 23. I AM a baby. 

And speaking of my parents, sometimes people ask me what it's like having a mom with cancer and all that jazz. And the only way I can really describe it is that it's an entirely different universe to live in. One with a whole new set of rules and laws. A whole new set of cares and concerns. The norms of this universe are not the norms of any other universe I've been a part of. Which provides plenty of adjustment issues. Because you don't leave the previous universe. I still go to work/live every day and associate with people that have no idea about this new universe I'm living in. Sometimes it gets a little tricky keeping the universes straight and staying within the appropriate parameters of each. And the thing about this universe is that if you're not in it, you're not in it. There's no way to describe someone into it. Which makes it tricky for outsiders trying to deal with people inside it. I try to remember that. And I try to remember that other people are probably in all kinds of universes that I have no idea about. And hopefully my venn diagram of universe living will lean heavier and heavier toward the normal life circle as these days go by. But I don't think universes ever disappear from the diagram once they've been introduced. Cuz, how could they? Once you've been in a universe, you don't just forget it. I mean, it's a universe!