1. We took the risk of moving to an area we hardly knew, because it spoke to us. How fortunate that Bluffton lived up to its promise – beautiful, with its live oak, palmettos and Spanish Moss, temperate and filled with local attractions (including great restaurants).
2. Living on a lagoon (okay, technically a reclamation pond) is pure joy. In the afternoons, the water sparkles like diamonds. As I’ve written in previous posts, egrets, herons, turtles, alligators, hummingbirds, butterflies and, once, a snake grace our yard. The sunsets are amazing.
3. Pickleball! I’m still loving it, playing at least three times a week. My serve is now better than decent, my backhand still not so hot. So much fun, such great exercise and lots of laughs with a great group of ladies, The Haven Hot Shots.
4. Trixie the Trike has become my faithful chariot. I managed to fall with her twice by taking downhill corners way too fast, but we both came away unscathed. Riding the bike trails and pedalling home from Pickleball with my buds – two neighbors who also play – makes me gleeful as a kid.
5. I’m excited to be finishing the fourth draft of my new thriller, Tell On You, seeing the novel start to shine. A special thanks to my beta readers for their invaluable feedback.
6. I love not having to go to work! My days are my own at last. Retirement is mellowing for my husband and me and I’m glad we did this while we’re still young and healthy enough to enjoy it and each other. So grateful that we can share this adventure.
7. Finally (not that I couldn’t go on), I’m deeply grateful for the new friendships I’ve found here at The Haven. As we prepared to move, friends in NJ would ask whether we knew people down here. The answer was no, but I hoped to meet people. And those hopes have been realized in abundance. We’re blessed with lovely neighbors, including the ones hosting us for Thanksgiving. Our social life is richer than it was in NJ.
To all my readers, best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving. May you find much to be grateful for and the courage to embrace change.