It’s been three years since we moved here to the beach. It was the seventh year of Jerry’s illness and his decline was becoming more pronounced. He was immediately declared 100% disabled and began taking social security. I worked full time for the airlines but needed to reduce to part time in order to be home with him. Eventually, I became uncomfortable leaving him for any considerable length of time. It was either continue to work and place him in an adult daycare or retire. I couldn’t bring myself to put him in daycare, I wanted to be able to live our days together for as long as we could. So we sold our house and moved to the beach. Our friends were against it but that tugging in my heart kept saying....GO! It was the best decision I could have made. Life is simple at the beach. No worries about deadlines, what to wear, traffic, etc. We ride our bikes and walk the beach for exercise. We are together all time. Like newlyweds. We are a couple. When he was working, he was a business professional that travelled for years, but when he was home, we were a team. The more he has declined, the more attached we have become. So, why not be a “retired” couple and live the good life while we still can.

Today our afternoon was spent on the deck. We don’t have a view of the beach, but we DO have a “pristine lagoon” , better known as a swamp or, as they call it in North Carolina, the “marshlands”. Still, we are able to watch the sun drop behind those trees every evening as we sit with our marguerite with no care in the world....even if just for a moment.