Hello! I am writing to you from Florida, where I have been happily living for a almost a month!
I am just in Sarasota for the winter!
To be clear, THIS IS NOT A PERMANENT MOVE. I will be back in Massachusetts in May! I have no plans to ever leave my beloved Cape house and all that I love about New England in the spring (if we have one), the summer and in the fall. As for New England winters, I am hopefully done for good!
I decided to drive down with my cats!
On February 2nd, I packed up the car , complete with my three cats, Harley, Maxence and Cappy, each in their separate cages, and I started the drive to Florida from Cape Cod.
I stopped at pet friendly hotels in Philadelphia, where I saw my sister Marni and her kids, in Richmond, where I saw my parents, in Charleston, where I met my friend Caroline of Madison Mathews, and finally at my home for 3 1/2 months, in Sarasota.
My cats did wonderful, and I am going to write a separate post about that!
Ten years in the making!
For those of you know do not know, I have been trying to “snowbird” for the last ten years.
I am NOT retiring, and I will not be for several decades!
I have family and friends in Naples, so that was where I focused. Besides not finding an animal friendly place, the rents were way more than I could afford.
Once again, I beyond grateful for The Preppy Francophile and the friends that I have made through this. Without it, I would not have made the friend who made it possible for me to rent here. I kept manifesting and manifesting, and, at the end of last year, this came together.
I suffer from seasonal affective disorder and PTSD, so winters are very hard on me.
January is always my hardest month, as it is the month after Victor died, the sun sets around 5/5:30 p.m. and there is no amount of therapy, meditation, exercise, love or anything else that can cure my seasonal affective disorder. Combined with my PTSD, winter is really tough to take.
There are some stretches where I do not leave the house for days, and that is not healthy physically or mentally.
NOTE: I do NOT experience suicidal thoughts. If you are or know someone who you suspect may be having thoughts of suicide, CALL 988 IMMEDIATELY!
How it’s going…
So, how’s it going? It’s going really well!
I hit the jackpot with my townhouse rental. The location is close to 75, it is a safe community and there are a ton of shops, restaurants and markets within walking distance.
I have not made a lot of friends yet (only one person at the pool has really made an effort to meet me), as I am really focusing on the work/life balance. But, here, I wake up smiling every day, and I never feel alone.
I started playing pickleball again last week, and I look forward to playing more. I cook a lot at home, and sometimes I dine out alone- which I have been doing for many years and I am totally comfortable with.
Sarasota – I have barely scratched the surface!
Sarasota is absolutely huge, and there is so much to explore!
Thank you to a special friend who made my dreams come true, and thank you to all of you who have supported me and who genuinely celebrate my happiness.
I will be writing more about my journey down, my Sarasota and beyond discoveries and life in general.
Be well, and thank you for reading and for following along.
xx, Jen
