IN MY HEAD – No.2 – Back on Pleasant Bay – Again – May 2026

This visit has indeed been different – only a little teary and more focused on the next chapter for both me and the house. 

I have ruled out selling it – our spot is too special – and even more so as so many of the formerly wooded areas around town are now dotted with new homes. 

My children both love this house and have their own fond memories of being here. They look forward to making new memories here with their future families. 

Knowing this, it has been easier to clear out everything that is not meaningful to me and no longer serves anyone. I am focused on making the house more comfortable – not fancy, just functional. And it helps that the weather is more gentle now.

I feel freer and more able to embrace all the things I love about being here. This time, I started using it. I mean, leaning into all the house and place has to offer. I have my morning coffee on my bench overlooking the bay. I run with my dog on wooded trails 2 ½ miles away. I play golf at an amazing course less than 2 miles away. And, I now have a new bicycle to ride along the Cape Cod Rail Trail. 

The summer after I finished business school was the last time I lived here – I had a few months free before the start of my job. 

I remember that time clearly – I would get up, go for a run, and jump directly into the ocean to cool off before heading back for a beach chair and my book – from there, to Nauset to swim in the huge waves and wander the expansive beach. In the afternoon, I would head out for a long bike ride – then collapse into the hammock to read before dinner. 

It was such a lovely time – no school or job to worry about – just enjoying time in this spot with my parents. I long to relive those days, in new ways, in this house.

Back in NYC now, I am reading what I wrote above. 

The reason everyone asks me what I plan to do with the house is because I already have a lovely home with my husband on the Jersey shore. We have many friends there. We have family there. Our children visit regularly. They bring friends. Our life is there. My life is there.

I don’t need another house. But I really love the house on Pleasant Bay. I want to keep it.