Flunking retirement and loving every minute
Many of us have moved here from other parts of the country. As we make our new life, it includes finding a place to live, making friends, finding a church and discovering activities to fill our days. Not everyone does all of those things, but, for the most part, we rebuild our lives in a pattern similar to what we had before we came here. Depending upon what generation we belong to, we look for different things. I have been here for 20-plus years and brought with me a lifestyle I was used to. I was no longer working and had retired before we made the decision to try a new part of the country. When one came to visit this area years ago, a real estate tour resulted in a free weekend at the Greens — a very upscale rental unit. We had friends who owned property here and decided to give it a try. When my husband made a totally unexpected decision to purchase a piece of property, I asked him why. His response was, “It seems like a nice place to come for a golfing vacation.” Well, talk about unexpected. I told him that I had lived within 15 miles of the place where I was born my entire life and wouldn’t it be fun to try something different while we still had the chance. And besides, I felt like I had come home when we pulled up to Town Center. Well, long story short, we not only purchased a lot, we actually traded it in for one in the woods and on a lake. Coming from the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin where there are lots of hills and lakes, I truly did feel at home in Bella Vista. I love the natural world, and I don’t think a day has gone by since we built our house and moved in that we have regretted our choice.
Over time, we have found those things that fit our lifestyle and I have discovered I am like my son’s father-in-law who keeps “flunking retirement.” I have had two jobs since moving to Bella Vista and have loved both of them. As former assistant director of the Bella Vista Library and now a Customer Service representative at The Weekly Vista, I have been blessed with each of these jobs. They involve working with others, and people are the love of my life. There is nothing more enjoyable than working with others. This is a carryover from my 20-plus years working in an elementary school library where kids had questions every day and needed to be able to talk to someone who could help them find answers to their million questions. Dealing with customers is not that different as they too have questions and need help finding the answers. There is little in life that is more fun than helping someone, anyone, solve a problem or find the information they are looking for.
Each time someone walks through the door of The Weekly Vista office, it is an opportunity to help them with whatever their need might be. It may be something as simple as wanting to buy a paper, picking up a paper missed during the last delivery, changing an address or dropping off a club announcement. No matter what the need, they have come to us and we can help them. Most of us are used to doing things ourselves, and it is not always easy to ask for help. Even asking for simple, little things sometimes takes a special effort. And what about the big things that we can’t do alone? Do we think about asking God, who is always there for us? Are we willing to turn to Him for all things, even when they seem small? We have heard over and over that He is there for us and all we need to do is seek Him out. However, this takes practice. He is there to share Himself with us, and all we need to do is develop the habit of talking to Him, of telling Him about even the little things we are dealing with. For us to make time each day to talk to Him about our life can become a habit and then when we need Him, we will be comfortable with the connection we have built. He likes to hear from us what each day means and how it is going. Even if He already knows, our sharing helps us better understand it ourselves.
Yes, I have a happy life here in Bella Vista, but there is always an opportunity to make it better. My turning to God for all the things in my life, not just the big things, is my next step. He knows who I am and He wants to be with me in every way. It is up to me to want to make Him my daily friend so He will be the first one I turn to for all my needs, both big and small. He is my greatest blessing, and I need to focus on that, always.