Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108Always Accepting Quality Consignments Fine Art | Antiques | Decorative Items | Jewelry | Coins | Vehicles 51 Atlantic Highway (US Route 1), | Thomaston, Maine • 207.354.8141 New England’s Trusted Appraisal & Auction Professionals ThomastonAuction.com | appraisal@thomastonauction.com Find out what your treasures are worth. • FREE APPRAISAL TUESDAYS 10:00 AM–NOON & 1:30–4:00 PM • SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS • SEND US A PHOTO “We’re thinking about moving to a smaller place, but we don’t know what our things are worth...” Maine painted Hepplewhite lamp stand - Sold for $24,150 58 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine kate howe that demands everything from its residents also returns much to them: endless stimula- tion for a sustained adrenaline high; an in- finite string of glittering goals, the achieve- ment of any one mysteriously leading to the appearance of a new one, like levels in a video game; and always the satisfac- tion that you are doing it harder, longer, bigger, and more intensely than anybody, anywhere else. Even if you’re not winning in New York, just surviving there is surely bet- ter than winning anywhere else. W hen you’re proud of these things, when your small victo- ries against all the concrete and all the people have become badges of hon- or, to move away is to lose a psychic arma- ture that has been sustaining you. It is also to release all the unrealized dreams of the city and admit to yourself that they will never be. I will not be a late-blooming art star in Chelsea. My daughter will not be scouted on the street for young celebrity. Living in NYC, these were fantastical possibilities, but in Portland, Maine they are not. I went through detox the first summer were here, releasing the psychic layers and contortions, the ways I had adapted to the environment in New York. For the first time I noticed how prevalent my internal anxiety was, as it stood out in relief against the pretty, unbothered environment. We’ve been here a year and a half now, and I have come to value something I never did in New York: ease. It’s easy to get to a beautiful beach, and so we go several times a week after work. It’s been easy to make real friends, easy to get involved with groups and activities that are interesting to me, easy to find a magical school for my girls, easy to complete the errands of daily life.With that ease it has become possible to enjoy the things I do, instead of being distracted by the mental load of stress and strategizing. I have crawled out of my old skin of self-conscious- ness and comparison, and the new one un- derneath feels so much lighter. There is a big community of former New Yorkers here in Portland, and it is growing rapidly. From the Airbnb hostess on our first trip, to the former Amex executive I met at the coffee shop this morning. People’s individual reasons and experiences are of course different, but there is a collective relief and wonder at the beauty here, and sense of our good fortune to have found our way here. Portland is not perfect, but it has a special combination of small-town ease and a cultural life and quality of people that out- strip its size. New York will always be mag- nificent, but it is not an environment for hap- piness. For a New Yorker willing to be happy, Portland is pretty good.