Serenity: "The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled." I've written it before, in all likelihood, i'll write it again. Sun City was the perfect place for me to continue my search for serenity. While some may think sobriety and serenity to be one in the same, i don't. I can tell you from reading any number of personal oral histories, so many of those moving here in those first years, found a quiet peace of mind. It had nothing to do with sobriety, it was all about a whole new way of life. It was about settling in and doing as much, or as little as they wanted to do. There's an early piece written with the header "Within These White Walls," where those moving into the community reported feeling a calmness when they drove through those white walls. I smiled when i read it, Lori and i found the same. We bought 4 years before we could legally move to Sun City. We visited often and every time we left the craziness of the work world behind, we smiled as we drove through the walled but not gated community. Here's the real kicker; 22 years later, we still feel the same way. Little has changed. Perhaps we take more for granted, but ultimately i cannot imagine living anywhere else. It's that damned good. I know when we first came, i was way more aggressive, volatile. As a workaholic, classic A type personality, shifting away from those habits/traits, was a learning process. And of course, the great leveling for all of us, is aging. Getting old takes its toll. Hopefully, as we plod down that path of life we come to understand what actually matters. I know i have. While most of my remarks is from a personal perspective, as a Sun City historian, this same story has been told and retold again and again. It's one of the benefits of living in a community of like-minded individuals. In our case, it was seniors looking for, hoping to find something better. You can call it whatever you want, for my nickel, serenity is as good a summary i can come up with. I am grateful everyday for having found Sun City. Hopefully, many/most of you feel the same way.
The title is “In Search of Serenity”. Based upon your post, I would say the your search is over, you have your serenity ever present, with you, to sustain you. Lucky man to have achieved such an incredible awareness.
If only that were true CM, but the reality of life is such that serenity/peace of mind is an endless quest. Over my 22 years living in Sun City i have watched more people die than i care to recount. Some were younger, some much older. In almost every case, those who found our community, had also found a measurable peace of mind. Those who died young had the bad fortune of cancer or heart problems. Even then, they tried to live life to their fullest. On the other end of the spectrum were those out outlived their spouses, friends and neighbors. We had two who exceeded the century mark. One stayed at home with 24/7 care and lived to 101 plus, the other who died shortly after the 100 mark. He hadn't been home for two years. A fall put him in a facility, but the dream was to return to his home. So much so, he wouldn't let his son sell it. Neither of them used any of the RCSC facilities and hadn't for years. Both were fully engaged, friendly and good neighbors. It was amazing to see and listen to them talk about moving into Sun City in the mid 70's as original owners. Both lost their spouses over the years and both carried on in spite of those around them dying. I would use the term i have spoken any number of times during eulogies given or written: "A life well lived, having left more than they have taken." In my opinion, it is the measurement of how we lived. No one better epitomized that trait than my good friend Ben Roloff. He might have been the finest human being i have ever known over my 77 years on this earth. That's the reality of life in Sun City. Ultimately we all die, The couple of questions are interesting; "when?" The most obvious is an unknown. The second is one we have our hands on for the answer; "how did we live?" Every single one of us has the opportunity to enjoy a "life well lived." If we haven't, the first place to look is in the mirror. As always, just one man's opinion.
