[graciegirl]

My village is the best. It is so beautiful and peopled with interesting and dramatic folks. The ages range from 52 to the eighties and we have a mixture of all kinds of personalities and backgrounds. People are proud of their property and watch out for each other. Nearby is a mix of homes bigger and smaller than ours and we can go by golfcart to all three squares and 12 championship golf courses and 32 nine hole courses. We can drive in our carts to the grocery and to the doctor and to church and to the Lifelong Learning College and to dozens of sparkling pools and gorgeous rec centers and take classes or sing or play music and in those carts we can pass by vistas of water and palm trees and tropical blooms and pass bikers and walkers and runners and see beautiful and clean everywhere.

My village is peopled with people who pay their bills and follow the rules and are damn sassy and smart and a little stubborn. Most of them have a few wrinkles but my eyes can see the 16 year old trapped inside each of them.

My village at night is quiet and safe and if I am getting a glass of milk at two A.M. sometimes I see the Villages Watch truck go slowly and quietly down our streets.

My village has some sweet dogs and some enjoyable owners who don't let them go on my lawn but let me pet them and give them a treat.

My village was planned as part of a history making place where for the first time in the history of man, over 100 thousand of the smartest and oldest and most experienced folks would gather to live some wonderful years on this earth.

My village is just like every other village in this remarkable place.