Living into our New Horizons
In my last three posts, I wrote about the cross-country train trip that David and I took while we were waiting to move into our apartment in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Now we are pretty well settled in and enjoying the reasons we made this move. David is away at a No Kings rally in Lancaster City, and I have some time alone in our apartment.
We moved into this apartment on August 2oth. It was a challenge to scrunch ourselves into a smaller space, but that is what elderly people do when we realize we can no longer carry all the responsibilities we carried when we were younger. Owning a home, especially in Vermont, was something I was ready to let go of, and David agreed to it.
We also are at the age when we realize that good health does not last forever, and Vermont was not a good place to get sick. One of the things that most people don’t think about (I didn’t, even though I’ve lived in that state before) is that in the rural areas of Vermont, there are not enough medical professionals for the population. David and I struggled to find good medical care, and neither one of us saw a Vermont dentist while we were living there. Now we have both established a PCP, had dental appointments, and had our eyes checked.
Another health benefit is that we have a membership at the local rec center, and we are going swimming four times a week. It is a form of exercise that I can do without hurting my joints.
A week after we moved into our apartment, we got word that one of David’s brothers had a hard stroke and was hospitalized. Our sister-in-law was driving an hour to the hospital every day to see him, and coming home to a condo where they have lived for 40 years. They don’t have a downstairs bedroom, nor is there a full bathroom on the first floor. David’s brother has now been moved to a facility near their home, but he is not improving and it is still unclear whether he will survive this. His wife is dealing with the condo being in ill-repair, plus trying to be there for her husband.
David’s brother’s experience has given David and me reason to ask the hard questions of ourselves and of one another about illness, dying, and death. It has made me even more grateful that we have chosen this simple living style that will serve us well should either one of us get sick.
Besides the health benefits, I’m also looking forward to milder winters. The ones in Vermont were long, bitterly cold, lots of snow, and ever so little sunlight. Here in Pennsylvania, we have had glorious autumn weather for the past six weeks, while Vermont was chilly through August and September and so far in October. Today is the first chilly day we’ve had and we have not needed to turn on our heat yet.
We are loving that we have so many farm markets in the area. And we also have Sharp Shopper in our town, which is a wonderfully economic place to buy bulk foods. We also live less than a mile from Aldi. When we were living in Vermont, we used to drive three hours to the nearest Aldi every few months and buy a lot of groceries at once. So having one so close by is like having a pantry a mile away.
Like every other place, there are also things we have to adjust to. The population and traffic in this area is much more intense than northern Vermont. As I mentioned before, living in a smaller space takes some getting used to as well. But as a formerly Amish friend, who has recently gone from a big house to an apartment said, “I can only sit in one place at a time.” That one really made me laugh because it is such Amish humor, and such an Amish way of thinking. And yet so true!
We also miss our Vermont friends. Even though we lived there for only two years this time around, we made friends we will have for the rest of our lives. It is true for all of us that people need people, but in northern Vermont it is even more true. Our friends there kept me going through those long winters.
Now as I look out my window at the slanted light of the late afternoon sun shining on the house across the backyard, I give thanks for the life I have. And I am grateful to David for being willing to move here with me. He is the light of my life. I remind myself to be grateful for every day we have together in good health. We live into each new day, looking out at our new horizon with gratitude.
Living into our New Horizons
In my last three posts, I wrote about the cross-country train trip that David and…
The End of a Trip and a New Home
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A Cross-Country Train Trip
Tonight and tomorrow David and I will be on the return segment of our cross-country…
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Glad you and David are settled in. It sounds like this was a great move for you. Blessings.
Thank you, Bruce. Nice to see you here.
Thanks for this update! I’m guessing you remember me, too, and I’m glad you keep writing–it inspires me too. Blessings to you as well!
Hello Melodie. Of course I remember you, and it’s great to see you here. I hope you are doing well. I’m glad you enjoy reading the blog. Blessiings to you also.
So happy you found a place to settle in. Downsizng is hard work and you deserve to enjoy your new home. I look around my house and wonder how I lived in the tiny studio apartment I had in my 20’s. Northern Vermont can be a difficult place to live in. Two of my nieces live there-both married to native Vermonters. Not my cup of tea. May you have many happy years ahead of you.
Denise, I’ve not seen you in ever so long. Thank you for stopping by, and for your good wishes. May those blessings come about for you as well.
No, that wasn’t my cup of tea, either, living so far up north. Bless your nieces’ hearts. Marrying a native Vermonter could have been very difficult for me, David isn’t… his family moved there when he was 16. He likes to remind me that I chose Vermont when I left my family and community. I remind him that that was when I was 20.
Thanks again for stopping by.
Welcome to Pennsylvania. My husband and I live just outside Philadelphia and are in your age group. We still live in our home, but it is small and only one story. When I read your first book and found that you were so motivated to go to college and that you ran away to Vermont, I thought we were kindred spirits. I always dreamed of going to Smith. I finally got a degree at the age of 57. I have visited Vermont in the winter and boy is it cold! Lancaster will seem like heaven, but there is no place like Vermont in the summer. If you ever come to Philadelphia to speak or visit, please look me up. I would love to meet you.
Theresa, it is wonderful to see you here. I know you by name here on the blog, and I would love to get to know you. We’ve not ventured to Philly, but we may at some point. Do you visit Lancaster County? If so, please stop by. I’ll send you an email, and we can go from there. I love to hear from others who were mature students.
Yes, the winters here are much easier to take. We were here for the winter in 2023-2024, and it wasn’t too bad. I understand they had a rougher one this past winter, though.
Thanks again for stopping by.
It has been a long time since I commented on any of your posts, but this one I could sooo relate to. I am 72, and my husband is 80. My husband is retired Navy, and I am a veteran (my Old Order Mennonite maternal grandfather served in the US Army for 30 years; his first language was Pennsylvania-Dutch). Anyway, ten years ago, after raising two daughters, we moved from a 2300 square foot house in Houston to a 900 square foot unit in a co-op here in San Antonio, Texas. You speak the truth about downsizing: how much room do we need? I have learned more than I ever imagined possible in my senior years, about myself and others and the world in general. I never imagined that I would take up ballroom dancing in my 60s, but I did, and I still enjoy it. Also, we have traveled extensively, to Africa, Europe, South America, and even Antartctica , and, when we go, we listen to and respect other viewpoints. I have also learned, as you emphasize, the importance of understanding new limitations and the importance of good health. And – this is just me, here in San Antonio – I don’t bristle when a store clerk addresses me as “mamacita.” I love that kind endearment!
Celia, it has been ever so long since I’ve heard from you. So glad you stopped by!
I do not mind being seen as an elderly matron, for that is what I am. I don’t mind that I am turning 70 next year, either. Like you, I feel like I’ve gained some wisdom in my elder years.
So true… how much space do we really need, and how many things do we need to have/keep? We certainly don’t need as much as we had before we moved here.
I love that you took up dancing in your 60s! I couldn’t swim a few years ago, but now I swim every other day. Perhaps learning new things is what keeps us healthy.
So glad you have had opportunities to travel. That also keeps is healthy, learning about other people and cultures.
Thank you again for stopping by!
I enjoyed your post and wish you well in your new home. I’ve spent my entire lifetime in Northern Vermont so my roots are very deep here.. the point you make a valid and I find it interesting, being a realtor to read the thought process of relocating. I recently moved to a much smaller home, although still in the same town. As I’m aging, I find that my new mantra is. LESS IS MORE..
Best of luck to you!
Hello fellow NEK resident! Thanks for stopping by. I’m sorry we never got together while I was living up there. Glad you have deep roots there and are able to weather the winters.
Yes, less is more. This apartment is small and there are a lot of things I would do differently if we owned it, but not having the responsibilities of keeping it up is such a blessing. Our needs are met here.
Enjoy the rest of your autumn. Your colors came and went early up there this year, I noticed. Perhaps fall will linger for some time before winter sets in.