Trier, Germany. Almost eight years ago. A furniture store called Mobel Martin. There we bought a dining room table for our new apartment in Luxembourg. Our intention was to keep the table for two years and then resell it when we moved back to the USA. Neither of those things happened. We moved to London and we kept the table, relegating it to puzzle duty.
This week that same table is getting ready to move again. This time from London back to Luxembourg. We however are not going with it.
If this dining room table could talk. It might tell you about an unhappy 15 year old whose parents forced him to make an international move to Luxembourg as he was starting high school. Soon though it will be recording lively chatter as the hub of work and late night dinners of that now 22 year old who’s chosen Luxembourg for himself. A full circle, or more acutely, rectangle moment.
Quinn is moving to take a job in Luxembourg this Friday. Like so many young people forced into a gap year at home not of their choosing, he is excited about forward progress. About the job, the work visa that comes with it, his own apartment, being in the same city as his girlfriend and already having a community of friends in Luxembourg.
For him and all of us, any reflection of 2020 has disappointment and loss baked in the cake, but there have been some unanticipated gains too.
*With a household busy with work and school, Quinn has been my most constant companion this year. I’ve gotten to be “the first to know” at a time in his life where that wouldn’t ordinarily be the case. It’s been a good gig.
* I replaced my FB scrolling with a much more interesting live feed. I got my own personal data wonk for Covid stats, the 2020 election and sports stats I didn’t need.
* We both got to explore London through new eyes while running. Although we didn’t run together, we swapped details on running routes and delighted in sharing this most unusual blip in time where London was as close to a national park city as it will ever be. Also, Quinn has gotten incredibly fast.
* We benefited from an even stronger voice of conservation and frugalness in the house. I am trying to remember to turn the bathroom light off. I will however continue to order as many flat whites as I please.
* I’ve learned that I suffer from mentionitis: a tendency towards repeating myself regardless of relevance to the topic at hand. It’s possible to contract trace this back to sports stats I didn’t need to hear.
* My boys have always gotten along well but there is strength in numbers. Any middle schooler and high schooler living under the same roof, during a pandemic, could use a buffer. To have that plus one be your big brother who is four years wiser from having lived away from home and also genuinely interested in YOU is a pretty awesome cushion.
* What’s less cushy but equally important is younger siblings seeing that the struggle to launch is real. Pandemic or no pandemic, college degree or no college degree, it takes time to find your legs and the right opportunity to stretch them.
Quinn, you are marathon ready in more ways than one. Godspeed my son and 2020 companion. I can’t wait to be a visitor at your dining room table.