Life Begins at Fifty!

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lizelle2 days agoPeakD4 min read

So, I'm slowly learning all about village life in the ~~slow~~ fast lane where...

Life begins at fifty!

Huh, I hear the young ones say!

Should you ever decide to sell your home and move into an estate, where one of the big selling points is that life only really begins at fifty, don't think that you're going to become a couch potato!

Whether you decide to stay in your home a little longer once you retire from work or move on, the kids will soon realize you're available to run errands while they're at work, or look after the grandkids; you're going to be busy from that side. Unfortunately I don't have that issue. No grandkids, and my sons also do not live close enough to rope me into easing their load!

Here in the village, there are many facilities and activities on offer, I'll never get bored! I just shake my head, thinking how reluctant I was to give up my 'old' life.

Many of the facilities are located in the beautiful clubhouse: the restaurant, bar with a large screen for sports events, lounges, a snooker table, a library, a cinema, activity rooms, a well-equipped gym, a heated swimming pool, and a jacuzzi.
What else? A small medical centre to take care of our health, and then a gal needs to look after herself, so there's a hairdresser and a health hydro. All around the estate are numerous safe walks along the waterways, from where the rich bird life and landscaped gardens can be seen.

I started aqua-aerobics last week, and wrongly thought it was going to be easy. I had not recovered from the muscle pains of the previous week when it was time for the next lesson. I feel quite ashamed by just how fit some of the older ladies are, and how unfit I am. There is another class for low-impact aqua, run by a physiotherapist, and I think I will join them rather until I'm a little fitter.
What else to do? Pilates, yoga, fitness, line dancing, arts and crafts, Saturday dinner dances, sewing and knitting, bridge, canasta, rummikub, tennis, bowls, and more.

And if I want to be a couch potato for a day or more, I can be so, and no one will say a word. Even if they do, I know how to ignore!

I'm learning about the hierarchy in village life and the nicknames of some of the more colourful ~~annoying~~ residents.
The nosy parker's apartment is perfectly situated to spy on everyone, and it's called the Headquarters. There's a Broadcasting Station as well. A naughty parrot that curses you when you enter lives there. I've only been once! When its owner talks, the whole village can hear her. Then there's the voluntary newspaper deliverer who informs of all the goings on and has verbal diarrhoea, he's known as the Village Herald. Useful information that can be shared in one sentence turns into a one-sided conversation of more than an hour at times.

The village is divided into smaller villages, and each one has its own Councillor. I thought that would be helpful, except our little village doesn't have one. No one wants the job because they say you have to deal with silly complaints, like you could get called out at midnight. After all, a resident has seen a spider in the bathroom!

That's village life, I suppose. I should hear of all the other nicknames long-time residents use. Hopefully, I don't get a new name here!

As in every community, in the workplace, on the sports fields, and even here on Hive, we have all kinds of people. The ones who are on the same wavelength, and others who are living on their own planet. Makes life interesting, but can also be annoying at times, don't you agree?