The time has come, the Walrus said

“...to talk of many things...” And so we will use a line, not from a song this time, but from a poem by Lewis Carroll to kick off this piece.

My first piece for the Bluffton Sun was published in the July 2, 2024, edition. I had been reading the paper since we moved to town in August 2021, and when I saw a small notice from the editor earlier in 2024 suggesting that anyone interested in contributing should get in touch, I did. I included a few examples of blog posts I had written to give a flavor of what I was interested in doing, but my message seemed to fall into an abyss. What I didn’t realize was that the paper was undergoing a personnel change. When I followed up to check, I was delighted to be offered a regular contributor slot.

Over the past two years, I have had the great freedom and joy of writing about a variety of topics, from the local food scene to travel reflections, to a couple of pieces written from the point of view of Abbey the dog as she ran the last few laps of her race. Most of the time, ideas came to me while I was swimming laps or running. Sometimes it was a struggle, but it was never a chore. It was always a very enjoyable exercise.

About a year ago, we started to realize that while we have had many wonderful experiences here, something was missing. The final light bulb went on as we were driving north last summer for what was planned as a three-week visit with friends and family. As I drove over the Tappan Zee Bridge, I started to tear up. It was at that point we decided to put a plan in place to head back to Connecticut.

When we settled back in after our visit, we worked with the same realtor we had used to purchase our home, got it ready, and in March of this year it went live. Almost exactly 90 days later, we were under contract, and then the stress of moving again began. Honestly, I didn’t expect to make another major move after our original landing, but life has a funny way of showing its cards.

I’m sure there are many reading this who will think us absolutely insane. Yes, we are taking on a far more expensive locale, not something to take lightly as two retired teachers. And yes, winter will once again last for months. However, being retired is a plus because when the weather gets bad, we don’t have to commute. We can simply lay low until it clears.

I, in particular, will miss 12 months of shorts and flip-flops, we are both looking forward to the wonder of four true seasons. While all of the analytics scream that this turnaround could be a huge error in judgment, suffice it to say that matters of the heart and soul speak an entirely different language. I’ve come to peace with leaving it at that.

The last five years have been wonderful. After decades of chasing our tails on the hamster wheel, this has been a spectacular way to decompress and take a long, five-year vacation. We remain grateful for the wonderful sunsets and for the way we have become like family at places such as The Bluffton Room and Wine Time. We started exploring the area during various spring breaks and likely will do the same again after a while.

I think this is the perfect time to conclude my final piece by having Jimmy Buffett play us out one more time.

Kevin Fitzpatrick is a retired teacher who, along with his wife Sue (also a retired teacher) have enjoyed exploring life in the Lowcountry and all it has to offer.