Real time

One of the advantages of being retired is the opportunity to see news in real time.  Yesterday, as we sat with our fruit and morning tea we watched the dedication of the 9/11 memorial in N.Y.  It was incredibly moving and BJ and I both said it's a place we would like to visit.  It's hard to believe it's been almost 13 years.  It's one of those events like the Kennedy assassination where one remembers exactly where you were when it happened.  It also made me think that many of the victims' children were just tiny when this happened and perhaps have no memory of their loved ones.  The memorial has last voice recordings of calls made to family and photos of every person who was killed in NY, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon.   It's almost too much to comprehend.  One of the most moving stories was of a young man who always carried a red handkerchief and made repeated trips escorting people out of the building.  He was eventually killed when one of the towers collapsed.  He was only 24 and one of his red handkerchiefs is in the museum. The ceremony really focused on the good of people, not the evil that caused such a catastrophe.  Apparently there are kleenex boxes placed everywhere at the memorial.  We needed our own box watching the dedication in real time.  

Transitions

At my age I am not necessarily afraid of change and have moved often enough to know that new friends are just people I haven't met yet.  But nostalgia...now that's a different story.  After being in AZ this winter and having the need for some very specialized health care, BJ and I have both realized how comforting it is to be closer to medical care as well as just all the other conveniences of life.  As we are aging....yes, hard to admit...we are prompted to contemplate what is best for both of us going forward and being here on the mountain alone is not in the cards.  We know that day will come eventually, the aloneness, and we want to be somewhere where either one of us would feel settled enough to not have to make a move.   So to get the process moving we put the boat up for sale.  Seems like a simple decision but also an emotional one as we reminisce about all the amazing cruises we have had on Kaviar.  Hard to believe a material possession could evoke such feelings of separation but it is what it is and we are grateful to have had the experience of going to Alaska...a HUGE stretch to my comfort level!!!  But I'm glad I was stretched and able to see parts of our world that few others ever will.   

Next big decision is the house which officially went on the market on May 5.  Since it took our neighbors 3 years to sell their house we are not expecting to be out of here anytime soon but the purging has begun.   So you can see we are trying to simplify our lives and reduce assets. Good to do while we can still choose to do it and not have to do it.  

But I still will miss you, Kaviar.