What trips are Villagers looking forward to?
As many of you already know, my wife and I love to travel. We also love visiting our grandchildren. Since before we got married, there has always been something to look forward to. When we were in college, she planned a semester in Holland and I planned a year in Israel. We looked forward to meeting in Europe and traveling that summer. As it turned out, we got engaged in Amsterdam. We could then look forward to coming back to the states, getting married and starting our life together. Over the years, we have made many plans. We have traveled extensively. We are living the Villages lifestyle! Overall, we are very happy. Right now, we are looking forward to the birth of our fourth grandchild. We have a number of trips planned over the next year to Europe, Fort Lauderdale, the Caribbean, Israel and of course to visit our grandkids.
The reason I decided to write this is that I was thinking about my mother-in-law who just turned 91. She is still an active, independent person who enjoys her life. Once in a while, we speculate on how she does it. I’ve come up with the following theory: She is always looking forward to something! Last year, for the first time in thirty years, she found herself in the hospital 4 times in a two month period. This started in April. In the beginning of June, she broke her pelvis and fractured her hip and had to go to rehab. We had a family cruise planned on the Allure of the Seas for the end of July. It was a four generation cruise, with my mother-in-law, my wife and I, our kids and of course the grandkids. She was very much looking forward to that cruise. The first day in rehab, she told the therapist that she was going on a cruise at the end of July. The therapist told her that it would be a day-by-day decision. She “discussed” it during each session and asked for extra sessions to help speed her recovery. She went home on July 25 and on July 27 we headed down to Fort Lauderdale. With the aid of her walker, she walked one and one half miles in Cozumel. Now she is looking forward to her next great-grandchild being born, and then to Thanksgiving when we usually have a family gathering.
The people we have met since living in the Villages are very young at heart. They are always out and about. Try calling somebody in the middle of the day – odds are, you will get the answering machine! They always have plans, short term and long term! I believe it is the secret to longevity and happiness. Of course, if you need help making plans, or just want to share experiences, feel free to contact me!
I encourage all of you to leave a comment and tell us what you’re looking forward to in 2014!
Steve Leichner is a travel consultant for PSL Travel. You can reach him with questions at [email protected] or via telephone at 877-387-4660.