I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. This ball marked a big milestone in the life of my

family because my older daughter Eliza went off to college. And this is a bittersweet milestone

in the life of a family. And I have to say it's been easier actually than I anticipated and as

much as people criticize technology, I think that at least in our case technology has made the

transition less difficult for all of us. But nevertheless, it is a big change and I have thought

a lot about it. And I've been comforted by something that happened when Eliza was just starting

nursery school. All of the parents were a little freaked out about separation, which is what they

call the process of leaving your childhood school for the first time. And I was anxious just like

everybody else. And I was talking to the nursery school director and she's very wise. And at

that time she also had grown children and she said to me gently, this is the first of many times

that you will say goodbye to your child. I've thought about that observation many times over

the years and it put this new kind of separation into perspective. When they go off to college,

is one time of many times that I will say goodbye to my children. I'm Gretchen Rubin and I hope

this makes your week a little happier.