"Are you crazy?"
It was a frequent question
when we announced our move from the mild Pacific Northwest to North Central
Minnesota. This was followed by statistics: 20-below zero and four feet of
snow. Extreme data is what outsiders remember about our fair state - our home
since early March.
Since then it's been great,
though a long distance move after two decades is not for the faint-hearted.
There is much to learn, people to meet and personal infrastructures to
establish. The same gal cut our hair for 20 years and my physician was a
friend, as were my dentist, optometrist, attorney and pastor. And then there
are the dozens of neighbors and associates left behind.
The process for moving 19,000
pounds some 1600 miles is taxing at any age. The movers did a fine job, but
loading and unloading hundreds of boxes exhausted us physically and mentally.
We were careful in our labeling, but we still can't locate needed items.
However, I've discovered many "new" clothes, so Goodwill will have an
array of business suits, dress shirts and power ties.
Fairly well traveled, my wife
is a retired flight attendant and I'm a former newspaper publisher. Seeking the
best retirement spot, we looked at Colorado, Montana, Utah, Arizona and
California. Each had potential and we felt we could find the Bright Side anywhere, but as we slip quietly into the autumn of
life, the priority is be closer to family. Not too close, but a one-day drive
to Chicago, Des Moines, Kansas City and the Twin Cities. Frankly, we're sick of
commercial flying and we can't afford continual tickets back and forth to
refresh family connections and see active grandchildren.
A radius from Minnesota
worked, but the foundation for my Golden Age dream is a simple photo taken 40
years ago on a lake beach belonging to my parents. They're gone now and the
children in the photo have their own families, but that old image is burned in
my mind. It's a moment of pure joy, grade-schoolers with ear-to-ear,
open-mouthed laughter as they huddle, anticipating the warm sand and cool clear
lake water. Thankfully I paused in beach raking to freeze the moment.
We can't go back in time, but
it's possible to recapture such feelings and God-willing, we'll have a chance
in our new lake home - coincidentally a quarter mile down the beach from my
parent's old cottage. While the Pacific Northwest might poke fun at our weather
stats, they miss out on the fact that Brainerd has nearly a third of a year
more sunshine than Olympia, WA.
It's only one of the hidden
assets of living where there really is such a thing as "Minnesota
Nice," but that's another story.
- Dennis Waller is the author of a childhood memoir, "Walkin' Joe and The Midnight Marauders."
(This article appeared in the Summer, 2015 issue of "The Bright Side of 50")
(This article appeared in the Summer, 2015 issue of "The Bright Side of 50")
