They Laughed in My Hometown. Now They Ask How.
I lived about 50 years in the same small town in southwest Missouri.
Everybody knew me. Everybody knew my kids. Everybody knew my business before I did.
So when I started The Empty Nest Mom, everybody had an opinion about that too.
What It Looked Like From the Outside
A grown woman. A mom. A grandma. Filming herself in the grocery store. Posting about girls trips and Epcot drinks and how quiet the house got.
I know how it looked.
Some people rolled their eyes. Some people made comments. Some people shared my posts just to laugh about them with their friends.
In a small town, you hear about all of it.
Why I Kept Going
I didn’t start this to impress anybody back home.
I started it because I dropped my youngest off at college across the country and I needed something to do with all that ache. I started it because I wanted more time with Lauren. Building something together gave us that.
The people laughing weren’t part of either reason.
So I kept posting. Every day. Even the days it felt like nobody was watching.
What Changed
It didn’t happen overnight.
But one day the messages started to sound different.
How did you get started?
What app do you use?
How do you make money doing that?
Could you help my sister? My daughter? Me?
Some of those messages came from the very same people who used to laugh.
I answer every one of them.
What I Know Now
The people who laugh at you when you start are usually the ones who wish they’d started.
That’s not bitter. It’s just true. Doing something new out loud takes guts. Watching from the sidelines doesn’t.
And small towns have long memories. They’ll remember you were the one who went for it.
If They’re Laughing at You Right Now
Let them.
Keep posting. Keep building. Keep showing up on the days that feel pointless.
One day your phone is going to light up with a message from someone who used to laugh. And they’re going to ask you how.
Be kind when they do. You were new once too.
Tell me in the comments: Has anyone ever laughed at something you started? How’d it turn out?
Save this for the day you need a reminder to keep going.
