Living the Dream

I have  been pretty quiet for some time post-pandemic and post-move.  Relocating to Florida has consumed my life and with good reason.  I needed to concentrate on all things house to make it happen. Unless you have lived through it, you have no idea how stressed you can become in a move and the magic bullet is to remain organized!  That I did, trying to make appointments way ahead of time and breaking down chores and tackling them individually.  It is important to maintain priorities and to realize you cannot complete everything in an impossible timeline.  I managed to bring some furniture with me but I have been okay with empty rooms and would much rather leave them like that than fill them with furniture that I hate six months from now. I also made it a rule to do something for myself for at least an hour or two a day:  go for a walk, hit the beach, take a Spin class, watch a little Netflix, take a nap, etc. and the list goes on.  This leaves you recharged and ready to tackle more.  It is a rule that has kept me sane moving to another state which requires more housekeeping than usual like changing your tag and title and voter’s registration:  all important items that verify your identity.  I have taken things in stages like buying fans, lamps, chandeliers and having my closets gutted.  When I become overwhelmed, I know it is time to “take a break” and step away for a while.  Everything will be there when you come back.  Right now, my next projects are living room furniture, a light fixture for my cathedral ceiling and decorative frames for my bathroom mirrors.  Doing all of this while still maintaining a full time remote job and teaching Pilates Mat in my community and Reformer sessions at Club Pilates has keep me a very busy girl.

What do I miss about New York and what do I love about my new state?  I do not miss the dense population and congestion of New York after just having returned for a visit this week.  More than ever, it seems like a million people are all squashed into a few square miles and they are not happy campers at all.  Just angry, irritable human beings who are looking for a better life.  I have found mine in my adopted state where I wake up to sunshine 365 days a year.  Even when it does rain, it is brief and more often than not it turns into sun shower.  Something I never experienced in New York. Thunderstorms are frequent – also something I have not often lived through in New York. I do love that crack of thunder and often run outside to watch the sky light up.  Living so close to the Kennedy Space Center I can view the launches and I recently saw the SpaceX Falcon 9 take off on August 4^th at 7:03 p.m.  I do miss seeing my co-workers in person (ZOOM has to suffice for now) and my Pilates clients and students – however social media helps me stay connected with all of them.  I have met a whole new group of friends that have enriched my life and made me feel at home.  My new neighbors come from all over the US:  North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, California, Chicago, South Carolina, Washington, DC, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc.  All of us have left our old group of friends back in our home towns and embraced new ones in our new community.  I don’t miss the change of seasons and, even though I still have my ski parka and snow boots, I have no desire to see another snowflake!   I have been taking pickleball lessons and have heard it is the fastest growing sport in the USA.  I bought the cutest outfits and figure they will motivate me to work on my serve LOL. Time will tell.  All in all, I am delighted after having tackled a major move successfully, especially since my home is worth double what I paid after only 10 months.  It seems ridiculous but it is entirely true.  Can’t beat that return on investment! 

As I sit on my wraparound porch in my new Adirondack chairs watching the glorious sunset, I realize how lucky I am to live in paradise.