525,600 minutes

I have five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes left (approximately) to spend with this girl until she goes away to college.
That's 12 months. 365 days. 4 quarters. 1 year.
I am absolutely in awe as to where the time has gone. Jordan was my wonderful, wonderful surprise when I was 19. I would never call her a "mistake" because she single handedly saved my life and made me what I am today. She has always been clever, witty and incredibly smart.
She is the reason I read "The Difficult Child" 3 times in a row. She is the reason I cried uncontrollably on her first day of preschool. Because I never wanted her to know how I struggled as a single parent, she is the reason I lied about taking the TV to the "repair shop" every couple of months when in actuality it was a pawn shop. She is the reason over and over again that I have laughed until I cried. She is the reason I graduated first in my class from nursing school. She is the reason I finished my bachelor's even when it was difficult. She is the reason I am who I am today.
She is the reason I could pronounce all the names of the dinosaurs in the early 90's. She is the reason I have become somewhat well-read. She is the reason I love orange chicken. She is the reason I can make the sound of a dolphin and recognize the individual sound of every kind of whale. She is the reason I have stepped outside of my comfort zone to prove what type of person I want her to be. She is the reason I pretend to not be scared even when I am. She is the reason I want to be better.... a better parent, a better wife... and overall a better person. She is the reason I recycle. She is the reason the other kids are what they are. She is the reason I can't keep a secret.

525,600 minutes... Those minutes go by so fast. Think about how fast 1 month goes... when you're busy and life is happening... 1 month is here and gone before you know it. And then it's the next month gone. She has already told us that she is going "far" away to college. She was identified as being "profoundly" gifted at the genius level in grade school and went to high school in the fifth grade. She deserves to go away to college. She's earned it. She's looking at California, DC, Chicago, and New York. Can't get much further away than that, can you? Part of me wants to say, "No. You can't go." But I know that I have raised her to not be scared of new things. I have raised her to not be afraid to live out her dreams. To not be afraid to be a stranger in a strange place. And because of that... I only have 525,600 minutes left.