In another thread, Rusco reminded us all about JFK's words from his inaugural address on January 20, 1961 where he said " ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I've linked it above for anyone interested in his remarks; interesting to note, no teleprompters. Nice. For many of us boomers, those all too short days of his vision and dreams of Camelot, were a time of hope and excitement. One wonders what might have been if he hadn't been gunned down, but alas, we'll never know. Without question, he wasn't a politician of the ilk we see today. I loved his opening remarks about the celebration wasn't one of the party winning, but of the country celebrating freedom. Dare I say, he was a statesman...something we almost never see today from either side of the aisle. Fast forwarding, we can look to 1985 when the movie Cocoon was released (believe it or not, it was the last time I saw a movie in a theater). It was about a bunch of seniors in Florida who found the fountain of youth and had to make a choice. I loved that movie and the first time I saw the indoor pool at Sundial Rec Center, all I could see was Don Ameche and Wilford Brimley swimming in it. Geez, the tricks the mind plays eh? Those two totally separate and unique events were part and parcel of the reason I fell in love with Sun City the minute I saw it. I've always been an idealist and spent a good part of my life searching for Camelot and how to stay forever young (did you know the song Forever Young was written by Bob Dylan in Arizona in 1972). Here's a Youtube link with a very young BD singing it. Sorry for bouncing around, but the internet is such an amazing tool. I suspect I'll do another thread on that whole topic. Back on point, Sun City was an eye-opener. I was a flaming workaholic until the day I found it. I came to realize there was more to life than work. Like all too many classic Type A's, I thought work defined who and what we are/were. I thought I could save the world by doing as much as humanly possible to right wrongs, creating my own internal Camelot. Geez, what a putz. Another quirk, I went through periods where I worked out like a maniac, fighting to stay young and healthy. When I visited Sun City it dawned on me, age was just a number and growing old was inevitable (and the alternative sucked). I saw people who were 80 and 90 years young doing things at a pace that was comfortable for them. How much better does it get than that? Merging the two, Sun City was the perfect place. We could move here and be a part of our own Camelot, doing what we needed to do to help keep the community a great place to live and we could age in whatever manner we wanted and not feel out of place...heck, we were all old farts. I doubt anyone from DEVCO had the foresight to understand just how brilliant their game plan was, but it could not have worked out any better. Sun City offers something most other age restricted can't or don't: Our infrastructure is built on us having to give back. Most others are simply pay as you go. It's all just a matter of choice, much like those in Cocoon would be faced with making...cool.
