Hello and Goodbye
30th St Ocean City NJ lifeguard stand
Hello and Goodbye are the words I use for the change of seasons. Honestly, I don’t like endings. I prefer beginnings. However, with each new beginning I know there is an inevitable ending.
For me, now in my seventies, time seems to be moving more quickly. The weight of my life memory backpack is heavier on my shoulders. I am fortunate to have my loved ones nearby. Their love lightens my load.
As a young girl in upstate New York, I skipped along pretty much in a carefree cloud. I did not feel the aging process. My life rucksack was dainty. I joyfully focused on living and learning. My life was exciting and I wanted to collect as many adventures as possible.
Now as a senior woman in Lancaster, PA., I appreciate the good fortune I have had through the years and I am acutely aware of the pitfalls of the future.
my 2026 peonies
Summer awakens my physical being as I throw myself into gardening and outside activities. My muscles are tested and remind me that with each passing year, their strength has lessened a bit. I push myself to reach my peak performance by crouching for hours in the sunlight to pull out dead plants and weeds. I stoop over and rearrange heavy border rocks in the flower beds. Under my straw hat, sweat drips over my eyebrows and stings my eyes. As my face reddens I remind myself that I need to hydrate more than I used to.
2026 OCNJ dusk beach walk
When I go on my extended vacation to the New Jersey Shore, I take daily long walks on the beach. The wet sand sloughs off calluses that have formed on the soles of my feet. Nature’s massage uncovers a smoother layer. As I walk, I push my heels deep into the wet sand to elongate my strides. I observe my shadow. Head up. Shoulders back. I strive for a more youthful reflection.
With this season of summer came changes. There were Goodbyes and Hellos folded into the months. Death and births are the bookends of life and both were evident. The former more present than the later.
2026 OCNJ sunset
Goodbye summer. Goodbye long days and warm nights. Farewell uncluttered hours and open spaces in my mind. Another summer season is closing. I will make a photo book of my summer memories to keep me company on cold winter nights. Goodbye bathing suits and flip flops. Now I will have to be fully dressed and wear shoes. Adieu fresh cantaloupes, blueberries and water melons. You were so sweet and juicy. I enjoyed the colorful tapestry on my plate. The flavors still linger on my tongue.
Hello autumn. Greetings to nature’s beautiful palette. Reds, yellows, and orange leaves glow in the muted sunlight like miniature campfires on the tree tops. Welcome pumpkins. I buy a variety of them from my favorite Amish farm. At home they decorate the outside walkway and inside keep my fall trinkets company. Come on out warm sweaters and favorite scarves! Please smother me in your soft fibers. Transform my neck into a cozy cocoon for the colder months. Plaid. Corduroy. Fleece. The fall fabrics comfort me during the shorter days and longer nights.
Hello and Goodbye. I cannot avoid these terms as long as I am here on earth. So, I am grateful to be able to utter another Goodbye and to be given the opportunity to pronounce Hello once again.
Kim
a final ice cream treat with a roof deck sunset in OCNJ
