We have now resided at our retirement community home for a full year. You may ask what it is like to live here on a day-to-day basis. Well, here is a description of a typical day

1.   First of all, since your are retired weekdays and weekend days are pretty much the same. You often forget what day it is today and try to do business on weekends

2.   We try to do physical exercises six days a week consisting of  “Balance, Stretch, and Fitness” instructor-led classes twice each week. These classes are available mornings or afternoons.

3.   Typically we get up and finish eating self prepared breakfast about 8:30 am

4.   Than we typically spend two hours from 9:00-11:00am in the morning  doing our e-mail chores and exercise class which includes walking indoors about 1000 steps to-and-back from apartment to the indoor aerobic facilities

5.   Alternatively, we spend two hours 2:00-4:00pm in the afternoon taking naps and go to the exercise classes

6.   For lunch we usually eat leftover or go to the nearby Chinese restaurants

7.   In the evening we eat in the facility dining room for a full course well prepared restaurant style western dinner between 5:30-7:30pm. Or we eat out with local friends

8.   After dinner, we watch movie, attend lecture, or concert indoors, or watch TV talk show about news of the day, or continue social interaction with friends at parties

9.   Check calendar, watch late news, or a good old favorite movie before going to bed around 11:30pm

10.                     Sleep six or seven hours. Occasionally I get up for a very late snack around 2 or 3 am and go back to sleep with no difficulties.

11.                     Aside from older new friends we make at the retirement community we only have younger friends outside since most of our cohort age group have passed on.

12.                     Because we still live in the same town since 1966, we are among familiar surroundings and friends. There are no need to change doctors, CPAs, and insurance agents. There are very little stresses in everyday life. We have weekly zoom meeting with our three children who live in different parts of the U.S

13.                     There are plenty of interest, hobby, and service groups one can join to while away spare hours. You will not be bored.

14.                     This is definitely not a place for people who prefer solitude. You cannot avoid social interaction unless you stay in your apartment all the time.

It was our refugee mentality of careful spending and diligent saving in our early days that enabled the good late stage life we are living nowadays.