Moving on…

The “thing” I’ve been hinting about happened this month! After 35 years in one house and almost 60 years in one town, Mom packed up, picked up, and moved to Missouri to be closer to my brother and his family. I’ve spent extra time with her this summer, helping her go through things and pack up, throw away, and organize for the move. While it took longer than we anticipated to get the house sale finalized, it did finally go through and we were ready to go when it did.

I enjoyed our extra time together this summer getting things ready for her to move. We found a lot of older pictures and were able to have conversations about family and earlier times that we may not have had otherwise. I’m thrilled to get her into a smaller place, something she can manage more easily and not have to worry about maintenance. She made sure to make me a lemon icebox pie (my favorite) and homemade “Momma” biscuits a few times, which should tide me over until I make a visit to see her. She’s already had requests for more biscuits and chicken and dumplings from the Missouri contingency, and I know that makes her happy.

Packing up your parents and moving them to a smaller, safer place is part of the normal life cycle. There comes a time when most people need a little more help or at least someone to be available to check on them more regularly. Mom and I talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day, but it wasn’t the same as being there. The isolation of the last few months due to Covid made her realize she needed “more” to her life, and she really wanted to be around more family and especially the great-granddaughters. So she’s gone to Missouri, and seems to be settling in beautifully. My brother and his family pulled out all the stops welcoming her and getting her set up in her new place.

So, as we go forward and get nearer to the “big” day, my plans for the year have taken some very unexpected turns, but it’s still been filled with lots of new experiences. Not sure what I’ll do in September, but at least things are opening back up again and there are opportunities. October and November are both travel-based adventures, and that ends the Year of Being 59. But I’ve decided the adventure doesn’t stop there, only the title. I’m exercising more, eating more healthfully, and doing what I can to keep healthy as I age. Hell, I even ordered some new contraption that is supposed to help me stretch and stay limber. Being flexible and keeping your balance is a very important part of aging well, and I intend to keep going as long as I can!

Which leads me to a closing thought: why don’t you join me? Leave a note in the blog below about your new adventures, and maybe we can share adventures as we go forward. What was it they called the 1920s? The Roaring Twenties! Let’s make the 20s Roar again!