Getting Out Of Debt

Active-Adult retirement communities may be your answer if you are over 55 and looking for some quiet time. There is something about living in a retirement community that is almost unreal because the rest of the world is not quite like this--or at least not yet. Inside all is serene. It is a time warp. In my retirement community I get the same feeling of comfort I had living in the fifties when you didn't lock your door and you knew all your neighbors. Your neighbors smile and say good morning sometimes reminding me of the old "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" show. At my community, I go out for a morning walk or an evening stroll at any time of the day without fear that someone will "mug" me. It is in your mind that there is a manned security gate and patrol cars on duty 24 hours a day. While this doesn't guarantee your security, it feels good.

It's very quiet -- your neighbors are of an adult age that there are no "wild" parties anymore or loud music at late hours. No one under 18 is allowed to live here. Not that there is no one under 18 but they are only visiting. Occasionally in the summer you hear someone's grandchild but that is all. It is quiet. This is nice because you can think and rest better.

Every week a common task for most people is to lift the laundry basket to the laundry room. My laundry room is outside my door in the hall all of 5 steps away. Last week they replaced the laundry machines we had with new ones. I thought the old ones looked new. They are cleaned every week. The trash goes down a chute next to the laundry room. The carpets are vacuumed and if the building needs paint, it is painted. The landscape is also groomed once a week. If it snows, the roads are shoveled. If it rains, I know the roof gutters have been cleared. If I go on a trip the 24-hour security patrol watches my house and I don't think about it on my trip. I am not afraid to occasionally leave my door unlocked or walk to my car. This has freed up a lot of time to do other things.

A great feature about my retirement community, and again reminds me of the fifties is the way we can walk to the adjacent "village center." In the fifties, I remember walking to the market for a loaf of bread because it was so close--like the village centers in the newer communities of today. If we forgot something--no worry-- we would just go back. The corner drugstore was our entertainment then for the cherry cokes and, for a special treat, a fifty-cent banana split. Yes, life was simpler then and I guess that is why it was more peaceful. If I wanted a "Starbucks" I would go there--its in the "village" center. The hair salon and barber shop are very popular with seniors keeping their hair and nails immaculate. If I want to go to the major mall, there is a shuttle service.

Everything I want is close at hand. I have hundreds of activities I could do--a swim, a walk, to the library, to the fitness center, aerobics -- the list goes on and on. They are an easy stroll away. Of course, I can't do them all. I do the ones I want to do the most.

Life in a retirement community isn't like life just anywhere--there are huge differences. My life has changed and I like the changes. I used to worry more than I do now. I never seemed to have time for things I loved but now I do.

There are more communities being built with these same characteristics, with or without an age qualification, such as being able to walk to a nearby shopping area where you see your neighbors and access to community entertainment nearby such as walking trails, pools or restaurants. People seem to like that. If it seems bland, I like bland. It's quiet, friendly, "safe," serene and busy at the same time. It's a good way to live and seniors have lived it before--in the fifties. Does it seem unreal--the drastic change between life some 50 years ago and today makes the fifties seem unreal even to us seniors. I can't imagine how young people today can envision such a life like we seniors had in the fifties. Yet I believe these new communities today, age-qualified or not, are recycling that feeling--safe, friendly and making it once again very real--today!

There may be an over-55 active-adult retirement community near you. To find one, please go to my website www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com

Carol Fena, experienced as a Realtor and Property Manager, enjoys writing articles for her website about over 55 active adult retirement communities and places to retire at http://www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com

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