A Year in New York City: Starting Our Grandchildren's School Day
An engaging reflection on adapting to NYC, celebrating growth, family milestones, and personal evolution.
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This week marks one year since our big move to New York City. Today, our grandchildren began their second year of school, with one entering the exciting world of first grade and the other beginning the adventure of kindergarten. It's a milestone not only for them, but for all of us. This first year in NYC has been a whirlwind of experiences, growth, and yes, occasional challenges. But as we celebrate this big moment, I can't help but reflect on how much we've all grown since moving to the city.
Just as they're growing into their roles as students, we've grown into our roles as New Yorkers. It's been a year of adjusting to new routines, figuring out how to navigate city life, and finding joy in small victories, both in and out of the classroom (and pool). Their journey mirrors ours in many ways, as we've all been swimming through the currents of life in NYC, learning to stay afloat and, more importantly, thriving.
A Milestone for the Grandchildren: More Than Just School
For our grandchildren, this day is not only the start of a new school year, but the culmination of all the growth and progress they've made since moving to the city. After spending the summer at 92NY camp, they've made incredible strides in their swimming skills. Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke; they've got it all down.
While they haven't tackled the butterfly stroke yet, we know it's only a matter of time before they take on that challenge, just as we've taken on the challenges of city life.
As they've become stronger swimmers, they've also become more adaptable and resilient in other areas. It's been a joy to watch them grow, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
And just as they learned to glide through the water, we've been on our own journey of adaptation. Much like their strokes, we've learned to navigate life in the city, finding our rhythm in a place that can sometimes feel chaotic.
Our Own NYC Swim: The Taste of City Living
Let's face it, city life isn't always smooth sailing. Like swimming in a pool where you occasionally get a mouthful of chlorine, living in New York comes with its fair share of unpleasant moments.
The noise, the crowds, the smell of urine in some places (a common complaint, including from my visiting friends)...
It comes with the "unpleasant taste" of city life, if you will.
But much like swimming, once you get used to it, you learn to navigate around the discomfort. You find your own rhythm. You stop focusing on the little annoyances and start appreciating the bigger picture.
Swimming has become more than a hobby for us, it's a metaphor for our journey. Just as our grandchildren have improved their swimming skills, we've worked on our own strokes as we've navigated NYC.
Whether it's Pilates or a refreshing swim at Equinox, we've made a commitment to stay active and maintain our physical health, even when the city demands every ounce of our energy.
Health and Wellness: More Than Just Survival
Our focus on health and wellness over the past year has gone beyond "surviving" city life, it has become an integral part of how we thrive. Pilates at Equinox has been both a challenge and a reward, providing a space where I can focus on both mental and physical strength. What began as a quest to become more flexible and improve body coordination quickly became a lesson in humility.
Let's just say that Pilates has a way of finding muscles you didn't even know existed, and making them sore in ways you never thought possible.
I've come to love the challenge.
Of course, there's the camaraderie of my fellow Pilates enthusiasts, all of us silently enduring the burn, occasionally sharing a knowing look of "Yep, this is harder than it looks.”
Swimming at Equinox Sports Club has provided a nice balance to Pilates, offering a chance to relax and recover while staying active. Whether we're doing laps or just floating leisurely, swimming has become a way to unwind and reflect on the journey of the past year…
It's a reminder that, as in life, sometimes the best way to move forward is to just keep moving, stroke by stroke, lap by lap.
Personal Projects: Koffeemocha, My Digital Playground
While staying physically active has been important, nurturing my creative side has been just as important. Running koffeemocha, my personal newsletter, has become a source of joy and fulfillment after the cross-country trip.
What started as a side project has evolved into a digital playground where I can practice my writing skills, explore my continuing interest in technology, and connect with a community of like-minded people.
It's a space where I can be both serious and playful, where I can express my thoughts and opinions without the pressure of a corporate deadline looming over me.
Koffeemocha has given me the opportunity to explore new ideas, stay connected to the outside and inside world, and continue to learn, because the journey of growth doesn't end with retirement. Through writing, I've been able to reflect on my experiences, share insights, and connect with others on similar journeys of self-discovery.
Mentorship: Giving Back Through Humor and Wisdom
In addition to my personal projects, I've been fortunate to give back through mentorship. Through my connections with the college and graduate school alumni association networks, I've had the opportunity to help others navigate their own career journeys. Providing guidance, sharing wisdom, and sometimes just being a sounding board has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
Mentoring, I've learned, is a challenge in its own right, requiring both leadership and empathy, as I did when I managed a team of highly technical professionals. Now you offer advice, share your experiences with far less authority, and hope that some of it sticks.
There are moments when you wonder if anyone is listening. But then, out of the blue, someone comes back and says, "Thanks, that really helped”.
Suddenly it's all worth it.
Of course, being a mentor comes with its share of laughs. Like when I'm giving career advice and realize that the technology I'm talking about didn't even exist when I started my career.
Or when I mention a fax machine (almost the only modern, expensive communication tool I paid for its use when I applied for graduate schools in the U.S. in 1990), only to be met with blank stares from the younger generation (Oops).
But the humor makes it all the more enjoyable. If we can't laugh at the absurdities of the corporate world (and our own outdated references), then what's the point?
Through mentorship, I've been able to stay connected to the world of work (to a certain extent), both academically and professionally, offering advice while learning from the fresh perspectives of others. It's been a two-way street of growth and laughter, reminding me that while the corporate grind may be behind me, the opportunities to contribute and grow are still very much alive.
A Trailblazer’s New Identity: Navigating the Confusion
Creating a new identity as a trailblazer in New York City has been both exciting and, at times, confusing. After all, how do you go from a 30-year career in more than a dozen specialties or industries to "retired" without feeling like you've lost a part of yourself?
The answer, I've found, is to embrace the confusion. Retirement doesn't have to mean slowing down or fading into the background. For me, it's been about building new relationships, taking on new challenges, and proving that life doesn't end when work ends. It just gets more interesting.
Like our grandchildren learning to swim, we've spent the past year learning to live in a city that requires flexibility, resilience, and a good sense of humor. We've had moments of doubt, uncertainty, and yes, confusion. But we've also had moments of joy, of growth, and of realizing that we are more capable than we ever imagined.
Looking Forward: The Journey Continues
As we celebrate this one-year milestone in New York City, we do so with a sense of accomplishment and anticipation. This past year has been filled with challenges, growth, and more than a few laughs, but it's just the beginning.
Just as our grandchildren are preparing for the butterfly stroke in the pool in the new school year, we're ready to take on whatever life throws at us next.
This journey of adjusting to city life, exploring new passions, and finding joy in the everyday has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. And while we may not have all the answers (who does?), we're confident that the next chapter will be just as exciting, filled with new milestones, new adventures, and, of course, lots of laughter.