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From the Neighborhood Press

Embracing a New Year

The new year has begun and the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over. Perhaps you won’t get to see family for a while. A few more weeks of winter will still be around. It’s the perfect time to reach out in your retirement community and connect with friends and neighbors as you plan out your year. When you live in a community surrounded by your best friends, it’s easy to enjoy even the slowest of months. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy 2023!

Set some goals. It’s time to branch out and take advantage of the many amenities offered in your 55 plus community. Retirement can be the best time of life with many seniors still very active and ready to embrace life to its fullest. Make it a goal to join a fitness class. Join a club. Participate weekly in religious events. You can consider setting several goals – one to promote your health, one to help you grow as an individual, and one that is fun! Joining a walking group or taking a new fitness class is a great example of a goal to stay healthy and physically fit. Developing a book list or taking a continuing education class might be some options for personal growth. And taking the dive and planning your long dreamed of vacation to Europe could go on the fun goal list! Look for ways to connect with others in your community where you can find inspiration. You might find or establish your own travel interest group to get ideas for that Europe trip.

Socially Connected

Retirement communities offer the benefit of an often packed calendar of activities and events to spark a wide variety of interests. When you participate in events or social opportunities together with your neighbors, you are very likely to make some of the best friends you’ll ever have. In these slower months as we wait out the winter months and look forward to spring, it’s important to surround ourselves with friends or make new ones. Have dinner with a neighbor at one of your community’s restaurant options or plan to meet for coffee. Keep up the good cheer and help spread it to others!

Lend a helping hand. Life Plan Communities such as La Vida Llena offer those in retirement the benefit of tapping into supportive care options such as assisted living or memory care programs should extra care be needed. This is a benefit offered directly in the community – so you or someone you know can easily stay connected and remain neighbors. If you have neighbors, friends or family who require these supportive care services, you may be able to help brighten up their year. After all, you are neighbors! It can be so rewarding to maintain these friendships even if it’s just dropping by to chat over coffee for a few minutes, watching the Super Bowl together, or bringing them a home baked dessert. What a purpose you can have this new year!

Find time for family. Even if your family lives far away, it doesn’t mean you have to wait for the next series of holidays to catch up. Make phone calls. Connect on social media. Ask for pictures of the grandkids. Perhaps even plan a summer trip to see family out of town. In the meantime, you’ll have all your friends at your retirement community to see in person! After all, you’ll need some good neighbors to share all your proud family updates with.

This new year, keep the spirit alive and don’t wait for the holidays to come around again to live life to the fullest. Celebrate every single day and share the joy of 2023 with your family, friends and neighbors! Set some goals. Attend community events. And if you’re still looking into retirement options, schedule a tour of a local Life Plan Community right here in Albuquerque. New Mexico is a spectacular place to retire, and you’ll make new friends quickly!

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