When Sheila encountered old age her design career’s unique experiences became a guide to embrace change and shape an entirely new lifestyle; the adventure of being a resident with 800+ elders all heading to the backstretch………
In Post 10, Sheila has high hopes of encountering supercalifragilisticexpialidocious friendships and a few hundred unique experiences. For starters, she can try smiling and saying hello. Check out her next blog to see if at least one soul takes the bait???
Our new job in our Retirement Realm was to discover some fine and dandy new neighbors, and hopefully friends.
We did!
Truth be told: We were smack in the middle of a bonanza of brains, energizing go-getters and the refreshingly charismatic.
Undisputedly, grinches happen, just adjust! Play some music, drown out negative thoughts, stick with the lighthearted and their sense of humor. We did and fell in love with talented talents we often met at meals in one of the four large dining areas boasting extensive menu choices that “break the bank”, albeit, some can break your taste buds. If we want privacy we are able to order, pick up, trot it back to our apartments and close the door.
It’s a smooth set-up and optimal for us because of my husband’s dialysis protocol.
A warm, friendly and well trained staff serve while juggling the juggernaut of dinner ware and answer questions as they and we share our generational microcosm. They enrich and energize us.
We hear their stories, their dreams, their realities, their heartbreaks and sometimes have our flashbacks remembering our salad days, possibly sharing stories they hope never to hear again.
Some are as young as high school age, others might be filling extra time after leaving careers, picking up extra change. Heaven help them if they mention something about which we feel knowledgeable. Bittersweet for me are the times when favorites call personally to say, “Goodbye” as they leave to move forward in their own lives. I still miss many.
About the multifaceted: there is a significant part of our bonanza of brains who are a principal resource to me for their smart blog upgrades and I am pretty thankful for joining forces…
- *with Betty, who saves me from innumerable gaffes, checks misspellings and is an invaluable cheerleader She is the most attentive editor a blog writer could have and comes up with subtle and compelling ideas. (Did I mention needing help with my speeling?)
- **with Matt, who raises the standard and jazzes up my blog. (The younger set excel at jazzing up social media a lot.) When you have a project manager the caliber of Matt who is my computer ninja and offers resourceful, energetic and creative input, plus compels me to keep learning, you know I am one….lucky duck. Did I mention my spellling?
(All this while running his business on limited sleep….he is the father of 18 month old Everett.)
- ***with Sue, an artist who shares her Intrepid caricature; my lady started building a new life and like her friends often feels astonished at all there is to do, such as
dipping their toes into….Gasp….athletics! - Her tongue-in-cheek sweet humor is depicting this up to the minute trio wondering during their heart-to-hearts how did this happen so fast….
this new time of life that is rewardingly full of time to learn new skills and the courage to plan new adventures. As a designer who feels privileged to work with my clients, I respect them and their homes, equally so, I respect cherished friends at my retirement realm as our laughter rings out with our singular humor. - By the the way: Hmmmm, Did I notice my own blog “lady” has my chin problem?
Stay tuned….
Sy’s Salient Points:
MULTIFACETED humor is our necessary stabilizer and needed throughout our Retirement Realm!
Lives are forever changed for the better by soulmates…. unforgettable forces who bolster, boost and care….ALTRUISTIC friendships.
Thoughtful gestures knock our socks off….NOBLE moments rule.
*From a good authority: She fearlessly began sneaking from school to buy candy with her lunch money, took train trips in a sleeper compartment, waltzed into the dining car to hear, “Sit here, little lady,” etc. On her honeymoon in Alaska, donned sailor clothing with her new salmon fisherman husband and went on the town with the guys. Opened a chic cooking emporium, became a gourmet cook and a gardener; this plucky, brilliant, lionhearted friend/editor still has the chutzpah to color-match hair/ensemble and look stunning.
**From a good authority: Each and every day, Matt’s three-years-old dream repertoire included firefighter, astronaut and pilot….probably could tell time to prorate schedules. He immersed his teen-age self into becoming a star soccer player, track phenom, journalist and digital artist – later, a volleyball teamer and sailor. Once his fingers touched computers, his company, San Diego PC Medics arose along with undauntedly becoming the soulmate to 600 or more computer challenged retirees as a side job. Goodness, can you fathom his patience? Believe me, you will never find a more patient mentor/teacher….there needs to be a heaven for computer ninjas! Matt will be the first.
***From a good authority: At an early age, (8,) Sue planned to join Hiram Bingham at Machu Picchu and excavate monumental artifacts, but decided NYU offered a healthier lifestyle preceding to a career in Nutrition/Dietitian as a superlative teacher with a sense of humor. Her artful witticisms define a kindhearted and congenial lady who enriches the lives of family and friends with connoisseur dinners. I thought of her talent upon discovering the book…. “Cartoon Collection by Steve Martin & Harry Bliss” Celadon Books 2020 and this quote: “I’ve always looked at cartooning as comedy’s last frontier….and the idea of a one panel image with or without captioning mystified me…..and “I realized these people are actually funny.” Right on, Sue!
Happy Halloween Blaire
