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Active Adult Living Del Webb Communities

It’s The Lifestyle

The most important thing you get in buying into an Active Adult Community, is a ready built framework for an “active lifestyle”.

Del Webb is a “culture industry”. They don’t do the heavy lifting, they just provide the framework.  They sell the dream, but the dream can come true.

Real estate agents say “We try to tell people to focus more on their lifestyle and less on the house”. That’s because that’s what they are buying, a lifestyle.

Some buyers don’t get that. They say the homes are too expensive. They are not considering the lifestyle.  If a buyer doesn’t want the lifestyle, but just wants the home,  then they should look elsewhere, as plenty of subdivisions offer ranch style homes. But that’s not an apples to apples comparison to a home in an Active Adult Community.

An active lifestyle in theory could be accomplished anywhere,  but with the framework that comes with living in an Active Adult Community, it can be accomplished much easier and faster.

So, What Is This Active Lifestyle?

An Active Lifestyle include many areas,  including these:

Social Lifestyle – always available. You pick and choose based on your likes and interests. Social support and friends. Connecting with people is one of the most important features of the Active Adult Lifestyle.  The framework provided includes clubs and groups,  activities, clubhouse,  events, neighbors, etc.

This is why the Del Webb marketing posters show the couples sitting around the fire pit  or pool with their glasses of wine.

Del Webb
Del Webb

I have written about how when looking to make friends,  activities is the answer.

Social Support – related to friends, there is an “we are in this together” spirit.  Neighbors are helping neighbors.  The framework provided is neighbors you can relate to.

Healthy Lifestyle – Getting out of the house is healthy and there are plenty of things going on in the community to draw you out of your house.  Health is on our minds and having planned activities, especially sports, makes it easier for you. Thus you are more likely to do things to promote your health. The framework is the amenities,  ball fields, teams with your neighbors sharing these activities.

Softball at Village at Deaton Creek
Softball at Village at Deaton Creek

Home lifestyle – one level, efficient, neighbors, security, low maintenance living, entertaining.  The framework also includes your home.

Dell Webb home
Dell Webb home

Positive Lifestyle – When people are doing things to improve their lives, they are happy. Being happy means you will be more positive.  A lot of the people  living in Active Adult Communities are happy and positive.

Location lifestyle – small town, urban, resort, coastal, neighboring communities, local area, exploring outside the community.

The location of your Active Adult Community can give you a taste of lifestyle different than what you had during your working years.

In our community, I like seeing the stars at night, the rolling hills, farms, community theaters, town squares and the sense of a small town community.  If your new community was at the beach or even in a city, then those different lifestyles have things to offer was well.

Conclusion About Active Adult Lifestyle

An Active Adult Community is a great way to make your life more active, healthy and to make new friends.  It’s all there waiting for you. In the two years I have lived here, I have become more active and healthy and made many new friends,  so I know it works.  Also see Will I Fit In?

It’s just a framework that works well,  but you have to make it  work for yourself.

Categories
Active Adult Living

Politics and Religion

In an Active Adult Community, we come together from all over the country and from sometimes very different backgrounds, but we have so much in common! Our ages, stage of life, retirement, wanting and needing to be active, new passions, and enjoying life!

But in social settings, some people can really put a damper on things by spouting out their strong opinions on maters of politics and/or religion that is more divisive than they know.

Never Argue Over Politics Or Religion. It’s too controversial.

We have friends we really like, but don’t share their opinions about politics nor religion.  We have other friends who do not go there and we commented to them about that is a good thing we enjoy about them. They replied that everyone has their opinions. It is best not to get defense about opinions and you most certainly are not going to change anyone’s mind about those subjects by arguing with them.

I just wish people would realize that when socializing, many people do not appreciate their strong opinions being spewed out. It just dirties the atmosphere and accomplishes nothing.

There are times and places for those discussions about those important subject of  politics and religions, but a social setting is not the place.

I have seen some pretty awful examples of people saying hateful things, but I will keep those to myself. I am sure you have too.

As far as our retirement community, we are not one religion nor one political party.  When either one is dominant in a community, people feel like they can say whatever they want, usually at the expense of those who are not in their group, several who may be sitting at their table.

I have heard of the idea that when considering the factors about which retirement community to relocate to, that it may be prudent to consider the local area’s dominant religion and/or politics. If you do not fit it with the majority, then you will be freely put upon because you do not enjoy their majority views.  When I heard those concerns, at first I though that maybe this should not be a concern, because every community has quite a variety of people of every background, coming from all over the country, even world. But now I see that some people think that being of the majority group gives them the right to condemn those who don’t think like they do.  They are pretty self righteous about it.

The 63 posts I have written on this blog have been positive about the benefits of living in an Active Adult Community. This one brings up some negatives but it’s not about Retirement Communities per se. People are people.  It’s just that we do a lot of socializing here and that gives more opportunity for these issue to come up.

So, What to Do?

You can’t change other people, you can only change yourself. You can change your own reaction, response and behavior.

I like the role model of our friends who don’t discuss religion or politics in social settings. Keep yourself from being sucked in to an argument. While you cannot control others, you can censor yourself. Allow a person to vent a personal frustration without evaluating their politics.

Stay out of unwanted discussions by steering the conversation away to other topics.Try to bring up a topic you know the other person has an interest in and maybe wants to discuss more.

When in a discussion you can’t avoid, try to see the other person’s side. Ask them questions to find out the reasons they feel that way.

Remember everyone has their opinions. Opposing viewpoints are not a personal attack on you. Be respectful of others and mindful that others have their own opinion.  Yours is not the only one.

If that fails , ignore the topic and do not add to the discussion. I did this at an after dinner discussion and a guy said “you are the only smart one, you are not saying anything”.  Very proud of that.

Robert Fowler

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”