“NYC D-Day” in this case means “NYC Departure Day”; seven months went as quickly as the blink of an eye.
Our first order of business was to finish packing. I had packed most everything I was taking on the road the night before, but it was now crunch time. Pierre would be stopping by to help pack, and Kathie would be arriving late morning from JFK. The three boxes to be shipped were ready to tape and put postage on. Postage was administered and charged via ups.com. All I had to do was print out the label. I love how easy everything is online. My desktop computer was the last item to pack. In my mind, this was all done in record time. I must add that Anna Marie is an expert at this since she had recently gone through this with Ashley’s move to Chicago for her first year of college. The key, she told me, is the vacuum-sealed bags. And she was right!
Once Anna Marie parked the car in front of “home” (yes, right in front), Pierre left to meet his brother and sister-in-law for lunch at Fraunces. While Anna Marie and I were now in “wait mode for Kathie,” it gave me an opportunity to walk around the Financial District one last time. We even stopped at a pub… for a Diet Coke. We walked back just in time to greet Kathie at the car. She had flown in on the red eye and was just as ready as we were to see some of our beautiful United States.
Since it was lunchtime, we headed to Fraunces and actually saw Pierre and his family, Michael and Rosana, as they were leaving. Their daughter and her high school team were finalists in the “Virtual Enterprise International-National Business Plan” competition in New York. The project sounded amazing, and we would later find out they actually won. This very competitive event hosts high schools throughout the United States…and Centennial High School in Bakersfield, California, won. We are all so proud of her and her team!
Back to those last few moments. Sigh. This would be my last time leaving this building as a resident. Yes, I do consider a seven-month stay a residency. Many thought I would be in tears (after all, I can tear up rather easily), but I wasn’t. I think I was ready for my next adventure, thanks to Anna Marie. And, honestly, going home did sound good as much as I loved every minute in Manhattan.
Here are my parting words of wisdom: If there is something you have been wanting to do or to see or to experience… DO IT!
And DO IT WHEN YOU CAN!
Don’t put off anything because we have NO idea what tomorrow will bring. The last thing I have ever wanted (for myself or my loved ones) is a life of regret.
I lived through regret for years when I walked away from an education at UC Santa Barbara. It took decades for me to get to a point where I was happy with my life choices, but of course, it was only through perseverance that I could walk away from the intersection of “regret” and “sorrow.” We only have one tour in this world. If you have been waiting curbside for the bus too long, then start walking. You don’t want to be the one saying, “When my ship came in, I was at the airport.”