I Am Mad

One fateful day last December I was transfigured from being a young healthy adult and put in a new category known as "the elderly." That fateful day was my sixty-fifth birthday. I found out I was elderly the other day when I read a news article about young active adults ages 21-64 and the elderly, 65 and over. One day made a big difference. I bet even Harry Potter would be amazed at my sudden change.

 

Perhaps I am being overly sensitive, but I am angered by the reaction I am getting from some people when I tell them about my upcoming move to a Del Webb retirement community. I think the word retirement brings up visions of assisted living. No people, I am not toddling off to the old folks home. I am buying a nice, regular house in an extremely nice community that is going to provide many activities and amenities that normal housing developments do not have.

 

A realtor referred to my house as my "unit". My eye doctor's nurse called to say that my eye doctor did not know of a doctor to recommend in Frisco. She suggested that I consult with my "director" when I get settled. I showed pictures of the furnished model home to my hairdresser, and she asked if mine was going to have furniture like that. Geez!

 

My father started researching Sun City when he neared retirement age. I did not want my parents to leave Kansas City which I still considered home even though I had not lived there for many years. In 1980 they visited Sun City West and stayed in the vacation villas. I joined them at the vacation villa a few days after they had arrived. I was really dismayed to learn that they had signed the sales contract without giving me a chance to add my two cents. However, it did not take long; but after I began to grasp the meaning of the Del Webb lifestyle, I decided that I wanted to retire at 55 and move to Sun City.

 

I did retire at age 55, but I kept putting off moving. I kept thinking about visiting Sun City Texas outside of Austin but did not find the motivation to go visit. Last August I read about the upcoming Frisco Lakes community in Frisco, Texas, in the Dallas area. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita blew into Beaumont and gave me the motivation I needed to make the move.

 

Well now that I have written this I feel better. I am not going to slug any of my friends and acquaintances when they make unenlightened remarks. I will try to tactfully inform them about the new lifestyle that I am adopting.