After 45 years of visiting the Vineyard, my husband and I finally made our dream come true and bought a home here with the intention of relocating full-time. The thought of starting over was both exhilarating and terrifying. We had been embedded in our off-Island community for over 30 years, where we had deep friendships. Raising a family of three sons there and volunteering had brought us into the social and political life of our town.
Through our summer vacations on the Vineyard, we were familiar with all the highlights, such as the cliffs at Gay Head, the Flying Horses and Long Point. We had a well-worn path that we followed for our two weeks on Island to make sure we saw all the things we loved. We were out every night at a concert, a film or a sunset. But we found that living here full-time presents a different rhythm requiring us to expand our footprint.
So, we decided to commit to trying at least one new thing every week, and for the past 100 weeks we have lived up to that commitment. The threshold for something to count as new was that neither of us had done it before and we would experience it together. It could be as simple as stopping into a store we had never been in or trying a new restaurant. By our rule, going to the museum to hear a lecture counted, but only once; subsequent lectures were wonderful, but the activity itself was no longer new. If one of us discovered a new pond to kayak or path to walk, it didn’t count until we did it together. Thus, my participation in the Washashores women’s writing group and my husband’s rowing on Menemsha Pond were new for each of us, but neither counted as the new thing for the week.
People have asked if we’ve kept a record of all our new ventures and sadly, no we have not. Some events, like attending the Circuit Arts Gala, enabled us to support an organization that brings tremendous meaning to our lives, and we plan to make this an annual tradition. Kayaking to Black Point Pond for the first time left us wishing we had discovered this gem years earlier on our visits to the Vineyard. Gratefully there have been few disappointments where we felt like once was enough. Our attitude has been one of “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” We have learned so much through our first visits to the Aquinnah Cultural Center and the Carnegie Heritage Center, and similarly we have been moved by the beauty of Cedar Tree Neck and Polly Hill Arboretum. Best of all, we have forged new friendships along the way with others who share our interests.
We wondered how long we could keep this going before we ran out of options. Two years later I am stunned to say we do not feel the end is in sight. Except for the times we are off Island for longer than a week, the hunt continues to push ourselves to say yes to opportunities and to dig deeper into life on the Vineyard. What was once just a feeling is now grounded in our experience that the Vineyard is indeed a special place.
When friends come to visit we proudly take them to all the iconic spots, but we also try to convey how much more there is to this Island than first meets the eye. I hope we will never reach the end of opportunities for newness nor abandon our quest to be explorers in our own community even as we expand our connections and commitment to the Island.
Maggie Mulqueen lives in West Tisbury.