It is surreal to believe that we are celebrating the 11th anniversary of Acacia Creek. In the ten years I worked here, I have had the privilege to learn so much from residents who are inspiringly breaking age stereotypes. Together with Acacia Creek’s leadership, you have made Acacia Creek more than just a residence, but a close community of members seeking to create the next chapter of their life.
This anniversary also coincides with the one-year mark of the pandemic and the social distancing guidelines. One year ago, we couldn’t imagine following this for three months, let alone a year! Nonetheless, we have persevered through this challenge as a unified community. The patience and resilience residents have displayed speaks to the familial bonds that hold us together. There are so many others is less fortunate situations—isolated in their homes right now—and we are so lucky to have access to all the social connections and amenities Acacia Creek offers.
We made it this far without a major outbreak because of the sacrifices we have all been willing to make; putting our individual desires aside and doing what is asked of us by the state and county. By being flexible and open to change, we have all been doing what is best for the entire community. Resilience and flexibility—a crucial pillar of our successful aging culture—helps us bounce back from setbacks. Resilient people tend to be grateful for life’s simple pleasures and have strong faith that everything will work out in the end. In other words, we support each other by staying positive and by being compassionate about the silent struggles we all experience.
Now that we are coming up on a year of living in the pandemic and now that we have received the vaccine, we might be feeling antsy about returning to our old way of doing things. Nevertheless, we are still bound to the rules the county and state set for us. Please continue to stay the course and be guided by the wisdom of our Community Civility Standards. “Keep the best interest of our community in mind, recognizing that we each bring our own perspective and points of view to the situation.”
We have been encouraging everyone to look at what you want to create for yourself. How have you been adapting your life in order to do the things you enjoy while following physical distancing guidelines? It is my sincere hope that if anyone needs support with this or anything else, please reach out to me or the Lifestyles Department. Please remember we are all in this together, be kind to yourself and ask for help if you need it.
Penny Vittoria
Successful Aging Coach
