2023 marked the start of my first time living in Connecticut and the end of 25 years in New York City. As the list below suggests, for me the year has been one of change. And with it the feeling of liking new things and adjusting to being without some of the old ones. Here are some of the moments that stood out for me in 2023.
Moving to a house of our own on 5.5 acres after 25 years of living in +/-550 square feet
Being finished with the process of buying a house
The moment we finally moved into our house
Experiencing New York City for the first time as a visitor from Connecticut
Having an office big enough to hold a couch
Swimming in our swimming pool and realizing that it belongs to us
Being finished with a colonoscopy
The start of Daylight Saving Time
Discovering light bulbs that turn themselves on automatically at dusk and off again at dawn
Mom’s visit to Woodstock on a weekend in October that featured peak autumn foliage and 70-degree sunshine
Driving a car of my own after renting for years
Finding an outpost of Chopt in Glastonbury, Conn.
Owning a king-sized mattress and a platform that adjusts to zero gravity
Lunch with Krista at Nando’s Fairgrounds location, Pietermaritzburg
Being with Krista in Plymouth, Mass. on what felt like the coldest day of the year
Laughing with Krista and building inspector Ken on a sunny day in February as we toured a house from the 17th century for sale in Duxbury, Mass. that came with a deed granting the town the right to approve any alterations (the house needed plenty)
Clam chowder at the Wyndham, Beacon Hill
Playing pickleball with Stacy, Dan and Josh on Kiawah Island
Completing four hours of mowing and yard work on a summer afternoon
Hearing a judge rule in our favor in a criminal prosecution of our neighbor for attempted assault
Holding Olympus and Tesse, knowing that Saxa recovered from surgery, feeling Finny pressed firmly against my leg as he stood beside me, and spending hours at my desk with Puppy at my feet beneath it
A flight to Hilton, South Africa without a connection that required me to spend a night in Johannesburg
Listening to Phillipa Soo sing “Being Alive” from the musical “Company” during a private party at the Plaza Hotel
Returning home to Woodstock to find blinds that Krista installed in the windows of my office
The latest issue of The New Yorker in my post office box
The squirrel who helped himself to our birdseed
Experiencing the fullness of both summer and autumn right outside my door
Pizza without cheese at Pizza 101