Success is Following Your Star

Centuries ago, as the Christmas story goes, Wise Men successfully followed a star to find their Savior and found a child lying in a manger.  An unassuming location for their God.  It was a leap of faith that brought them to Him to whom they paid homage.

Not unlike the Three Kings, yours truly finds herself today on a nomadic journey to find inner peace and joy by living the life of a minimalist.  One could say I’m searching for an Epiphany. When asked what brought me to explore living in a retirement center studio at age 73 I can only respond:  “The wind blew me here!”

Giving away all but what I could cram into 300-square feet and the trunk of my car, I left beautiful Sarasota, Florida to cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to land in eclectic and equally lovely St, Petersburg, Florida.  The similarities are remarkable.  Both great Florida waterfront locations and both in aging buildings.

But that’s not all that’s aging at this retirement center.  It’s the resident population that thrives in a supportive environment.  It’s where the elderly stretch the term “independent” living to encompass whatever services they want and need to support their lifestyles.

As a leading-edge Baby Boomer, I am experimenting with this new lifestyle while waiting for the Covid pandemic to cease and allow me, once again, to follow my passion: TRAVEL!   In the interim, however long that may take, I have taken up residence in a cubicle which is tolerable because the world outside is walkable:  on the waterfront only three blocks from the center of a vibrant downtown and in a quaint and hip historic neighborhood.

Time will tell if this is the last stop on my journey.  For now, I think it’s only a pause while I regroup and keep my eyes fixed on high as I relearn the childhood pleasure of star-gazing.