By Ellyn Mantell
Our new home in South Florida may be far from our former one in New Jersey, but after a few months of living here, it is quite obvious to me that we are still Jerseyans at heart. Everywhere we go, someone is from New Jersey, and that fills us with a connection! And lately, we see so many familiar faces, which is wonderful. Bruce and I were walking one Sunday and found ourselves face-to-face with a couple from Warren. While sharing our excitement that they now live in the same community, other Warren, Watchung, Martinsville, Bridgewater, Basking Ridge, and Union names came up. By the time we went on our way, we realized we could have had a Somerset/Union counties party, and the room would be filled.
As you may know from previous articles, we bought our condo in Boca Raton as a vacation home and spent one week a month there for four years before Covid. We were, in the nomenclature, “Snowflakes”. Of course, Covid prevented our return until the ban on entering the state was lifted, and traveling was permitted. Last year, we spent the three winter months in Florida, and became, officially, “Snowbirds”. I had never expected to be a Bird, since Bruce is a practicing attorney in New Jersey. Covid, however, did show us that with technology and a leap of faith, we could enjoy the sunshine and not shovel snow. Bruce returned, as needed, to his Basking Ridge office, but was still able to play a great many rounds of golf.
Two weeks into last year’s stay, I decided that Florida was where I wanted to live. This was as shocking to me as it would be to flap my wings and fly. We rarely went
to the Jersey shore, never loved being near the water, had no interest in sand and surf, and avoided the sun whenever possible. And yet, I wanted to make Florida our home.
Here we are, having sold our home where we raised our daughters in Watchung. There, we had the comfort of knowing our physicians, pharmacist, restaurants, hair and nail salons, boutiques, and malls, not to mention, the
comfort of having our dear family and friends so close by. So, what is it that attracted us, and is attracting so many people of our age and stage of life?
The camaraderie is probably the most compelling aspect for me. I love seeing people everywhere I go, love dressing and dining with others, love learning at the beautiful university just a few miles away, and love seeing the same people on my morning walk, saying a cheerful “good morning” and (for the most part) receiving a smile back.
The saying “Make new friends, but keep the old…one is silver, and the other is gold” plays in my head, as I spend time out and about. Since we have been Flakes for several years now, we have some “old” friends, but running into “older” friends from New Jersey is so wonderful. After all, I know their children and their lifestyles. We have dinner together and reminisce about the New Jersey days while looking ahead to more Florida days to come. How fortunate are we to have the best of both worlds…memories and those to be made?
If I can say anything about this period of life, something positive about the aging process, is that if we are fortunate enough to have our health, the ability to experience new and exciting emotions and connections is priceless. Inertia weighs us down, while the desire to experience new things buoys us up. Each day is precious, spending it with joy, and knowing that is the most precious of all.