Three weeks ago, I was stuck in my old apartment, my son had just gone to Michigan and had just talked to me about staying there. 

Today, I am settling in to a brand new apartment that popped up on the radar moments before my son first spoke to me about staying in Michigan.  Literally.  That day, I had gone to a friend’s house.  They have an apartment on the beach, and I had spent the day swimming in the ocean, lying in the sun, walking to the center of town and eating pizza, fried dough, and ice cream with them and their children.  Because I had enjoyed the day so much, the subject came up  – the apartment upstairs was for rent.  Three weeks later, to the day, I was unpacking my things in my new, beach-side apartment.  One side faces the salt marshes, and an unobstructed view of the sunset.  The other side is a walk-out to a sand-filled back yard, and a gate – beyond which is the ocean.  Pure and simple.  I can see the sun rising over the ocean through my bedroom window, and it doesn’t suck to do dishes with the last golden rays of the day spilling through the window into the kitchen.  Yesterday, my friends from downstairs and I repeated the day when I first found out about the apartment.  We strolled to the center of town, ate some ‘za and some ice cream, enjoyed the sun and each other’s company, and made a big deal about walking home together.  They put their kids to bed, turned on the monitors, and climbed the stairs for a movie, warm brownies, and a few glasses of wine.  Later, I took my dog for a moonlight stroll on the beach, where he started getting used to the waves rolling over his paws.  Life just doesn’t suck.

My son’s life doesn’t suck either, it seems.  He called me Saturday morning.  “Guess where I am, Mom.”  “Where, Honey?”  “Tailgaiting at the U of M football game.”  My family has season tickets, but since my grandparents are getting older, lots of family members get a chance to go.  It was only too bad that he had to see Appalachian State beat the Wolverines on their opening game!