I’ve had a good afternoon. I –
- Went to the post office to mail our Christmas cards, Christmas packages, etc.
- Stopped at the UPS box on the square to return a package for my husband
- Then went to my friend, Linda’s, new place at the retirement center
I was pleasantly surprised at the retirement place. It was nicely decorated and had a huge, welcoming foyer. Two ladies met me, along with two dogs. One was named Lucy and had lived at the place all her life. She was kind of the ‘communal dog, greeter, and all around friendly, SWEET doggie.’ The second dog was some kind of ‘doodle’ and was the dog of the owner. The dog’s name was Jacob and he was friendly, too. I remembered the owner, I had met her years before. She’s a good friend of Linda’s, and owns both the place where Linda now has an apartment, plus the local nursing home. The other lady was her daughter, who is the active manager of the place.
There is a kitchen, dining area, and living room type place plus the manager’s office as you walk in. Linda’s apartment was straight down to the end of the main center hall. I passed a pool table, a kind of game room, and a nice sitting area with doors on both sides where one could visit and see outside.
Linda’s dog, Bentley, met me at her door. We all had a good visit. Bentley likes the other dogs and so has made friends for the first time in his life. I found out that she does not have her car there, so I’ve now offered to take her where she would like to go. We’ll just have to plan carefully, so I don’t have to leave my husband alone for a long time. We just need to adapt a bit. Linda knows several people there already and is meeting others. One of the ladies goes to her church and took her with her to church yesterday, the first time in a LONG time that Linda has gone. She was greeted like a much-missed celebrity by the Sunday school group and then by people after the church service – a wonderful reunion.
Even though it will take her awhile to adapt, I think she’s in a good place now. Her world can open up again, rather than continuing to implode. She was really isolated in her former place although her daughter did her very best to see she had everything she needed and was taken where she needed to go. She can now be social if she wants or be private when she needs to.
She seemed to be delighted with the jigsaw puzzle I brought as a housewarming gift. She can either do it by herself in her place or take it to one of the tables in one of the common areas and invite others to help. She might even learn to be a pool shark! :0)
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