My wife and I are fortunate to be healthy early retirees. And as the calendar flips to 5787, we’re also becoming empty nesters with a commitment to break the inertia of middle age.
I haven’t truly wandered since I studied abroad in college. Remember the Eurail Pass, the precious ticket that provided unlimited train travel all throughout Europe? We’re resurrecting that spirit in a campervan I built myself, one that will take us all over this vast and beautiful country. Two forces will guide our way: the weather (I sure love 55-75 degrees), and the people we want to see. We will hike and eat delicious food. Some days will be inspiring, some mundane. And when we inevitably get lost, I will try hard not to scream at Waze and instead relish the serendipity.
As we wander, I want to be in full wonder mode, taking time to absorb rather than rush to judgment. Some of my wonders will likely be the big kind. What do I want to be when I grow up? Where do I want to live? How can I build community in a time that sometimes feels even more isolated than COVID? Some will be those ephemeral, in-the-moment curiosities. What’s that bird I see in the tree? What’s the history of this cute little town? I have no idea what will come from all this wandering and wondering, this extended bout of cheshbon nefesh (accounting of the soul). I just know this: I am looking forward to the luxury of finding out.
But wonder alone is solitary. We also need more connection in our lives, which is why we will take every opportunity to visit people we’ve known for many years but see all too infrequently — the kind where you pick up mid-sentence no matter how much time has passed. It’s a long list. High school friends. College friends. Law school friends. Extended family. These connections feed the soul and might end up being the greatest gift of 5787.
As we wander, wonder and connect, our dog, Avi, will be along for the ride. Every treat will be the most delicious morsel he’s ever tasted. Every opportunity to chase a ball will delight him. And every morning, he will be ecstatic to see us and greet the day — no matter where we are or how we got there. This year, if I can approach every day with just half of Avi’s enthusiasm and wonder, it’ll indeed be a shanah tovah.
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