Retirement in The Villages, FL
Poms — The Movie vs. Reality
Funny, uplifting, well thought out, matched reality. None of those situations were far-fetched! Some happened to us. Great Movie.
The writer and director made a rather dreary subject inspiring, far better than I expected.
Not Hollywoodized!
Martha, for health reasons, decided to move from the city to a retirement community.
When we were looking, my wife noticed that WE were the entertainment, and so did Martha on her initial visit!
Most communities have a golf course, swimming pool, clubhouse and lawn games — very sedate, unlike The Villages, with its 2,000 clubs of every type.
She picks a larger one with three golf courses, though she has never played golf. The house sat on a quiet, tree-lined street with no traffic. People got around mostly by golf cart, like the Remarkable Golf Carts of the Villages.
So, what do you do while waiting to die? She really wanted to hole up in her house and do nothing. Hibernate! The neighbors wouldn’t let her.
Generally, retired people with that much time on their hands either
· Re-live their childhood
· Fulfill their dreams.
I bought a Fender Guitar, a piano and have performed at the karaoke bar, all for the first time in my life after moving here.
Martha was a cheerleader who quit at a critical time when she was young. So, she starts a cheerleader club.
There was resistance from some odd places. One poor woman’s life was being run by her bullying son. Another’s domineering husband completely forbids her to join. I have met both types of guys.
The woman who ran things in the community did everything she could to thwart them. My wife worked for someone just like that. People transferred out of the department to escape.
Their first public appearance at the local high school flopped. However, someone recorded it and put it out onto social media — thousands of views (I like stats)!
They badgered the grandson and blackmailed a local cheerleader into helping them get better. Everyone gained from the experience.
The movie has a realistic, but beautiful ending, under the circumstances.
Reality in The Villages?
The Villages residents are much more active compared to those in the movie. Of course, we don’t have a tyrant suppressing activities.
There is a two-year wait to join The Villages cheerleader team. There is also a Hula team.
People can do as much or as little as they want. Coordinated group activities, like the cheerleading, transfer nicely to line dancing. Over 100 may be dancing at a time, as in Dancing on the Square to Live Concerts — Every Day.
Overall, I have seen every character, event, and situation from this movie sometime in my life.
They did an excellent job with the movie. I highly recommend it.
Other articles about Retirement in The Villages:
Dancing on the Square to Live Concerts — Every Day
Sit and listen to high energy songs or slow, romantic music. Enjoy a half-price happy hour in a laid back setting.Remarkable Golf Carts of the Villages
You can easily spend $25,000 on a golf cart! Carts are as important as cars for transportation, status symbols, or reminiscence.Keeping Our Visiting Grandchildren Entertained
Building memories from unique new experiences. Planning upfront got them away from their cell phones and video games.Picking Fresh, Tasty Berries in the Spring
Fresh picked berries from the adjoining farm taste better than store bought & cost half as much.Karaoke: Their Music, My Lyrics
Why I moved to Texas, then retired to Florida — in song. The stage was not scary as expected, once it was over.How Many Stars? My Book Review Criteria.
Inspired by a friend at the Wannabe Writers Club in The Villages.The Challenge: Write an Article on a Given Topic in 4 hours
Newspaper reporters do this every day. The challenge was issued by Lucy KingCost & Experience of Moving into Our Final Nesting Place when We Retired
How we saved $11,400 doing some tasks ourselves and using points during the move and remodel, once we decided where to live.Saving for Retirement and Beyond, Stress Free, starting at ANY Age, even if You are Retired
These techniques may even help you to get out of a mess, retired or not, also if you are younger.
