Now, back home, I am refreshed and rested and ready to begin the rest of my life. I have always felt that the New Year begins in September (perhaps from my family’s observance of Rosh Hoshana, or the inevitable beginning of the school year) and I look forward to my New Year to come.

My husband and I have been living in an apartment since December of 2023, and to say it has been an adjustment is an understatement. We love the place, the location, the lake, the pool, the lack of maintenance, and so much more. But moving from a very large house with endless rooms and gardens to an apartment, albeit a very large apartment, has been an eye-opener. I am now in search of a more fitting solution for us – ideally, 2 apartments in the same complex. We are located right between both of our other kids’ families, so I don’t want to go far. This is a quest-in-progress, so I will keep you posted.

This year I rediscovered swimming, an old favorite activity. When I swim, I enter a weightless meditative space, with thoughts, questions, problems, dinner ideas, etc. rolling through my consciousness; when I am done, I leave them all in the deep end and emerge refreshed, invigorated, and ready for whatever comes next. With the pool here available during the summer I became quite spoiled, but for the rest of the year I go to the Y – there are three locations within a 15 minute drive. I even met a group there that plays cribbage on Thursdays, so I can play a few hands and then go downstairs to the pool.

I wish you all a happy New Year, happy autumn, a peaceful life, and hope for our future.