A Cold Winter’s Afternoon

I just finished a call with my friend in East Hampton, Billy Hajek, who is the Village Planner. Billy is sitting in his historic office building off Main Street, looking out at the snow falling as dark clouds dominate the sky. Temperatures are in the low 30s. I can relate to this as I have spent more than 40 winters in my East Hampton office, just off the main highway through town, watching the snow fall outside my window, the skies darkening to black in the late afternoons.

Now, I am in Florida, and I look out the open front window in my home office. Temps are in the upper 70s, the sky a light blue. Dinner will be outdoors at my favorite Italian restaurant, Lynora’s, on Dixie Highway. Jet airplanes at the nearby airport lift off from West Palm Beach bound for northern cities. No sweaters or heavy clothes. Just a plastic cup of pinot noir and spaghetti and meatballs for evening fare. I have become accustomed to a different way of life here in Florida. Shorts instead of wool pants and an occasional cotton sweater on cool evenings or when the restaurant air conditioning is blasting away. Maybe I take a nap before dinner and read a few pages of the new Scott Turow novel by my bedside. It is a pretty easy way of life.

It has taken me some 80 years to figure all this out. Relaxing is not a game; it is a state of mind and necessary to temper a hard-driving work ethic. Step back and relax. Enjoy the time you have on earth. Be patient. Converse at lower levels. It sure is grand.