Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1236444
10 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2020 | First and foremost, a family reunion that lasts at least a week at a rental house on the beach with unlimited hugs! Second, reuniting with our friends here in Sun Lakes. And lastly, I can't wait to see what all the women in Sun Lakes natural hair color is, after being banned from the beauty shop for however many weeks/months this lasts. ~ Sandra Caton Online church is just not the same! I am looking forward to being in church together with everyone – and also our small group Bible study gatherings. I can't wait to hug everyone, especially our daughters – and our grand fur baby too. I am also looking forward to traveling freely. I plan to visit all of the wonderful places in this great country, supporting local places and national parks. ~ Marcia Gold I am so anxious to get my life back. The one thing that I am looking forward to is the freedom to enjoy being with people. The interaction with my friends and acquaintances brings me comfort and many challenges. I hope that I can be exhausted from meetings, dancing, and talking, when I am free. I will appreciate all of the activities that we have available, and will take advantage of some new ones that I find interesting. I hope that this experience will make me more receptive to all those folks whom I do not know, but would like to meet. ~ Evelyn Hawkins I am looking forward to: • Going out for a nice dinner with my husband • Seeing and hugging our many friends • Going to a movie • Shopping for my own groceries • Browsing in a bookstore • Going to exercise class • Getting a haircut and a pedicure • Resuming the active and enjoyable life we have at Sun Lakes. ~ Anita Lawrence The fact that the world is now a global community was not to be denied during this pandemic. There is nothing that happens on a large scale that doesn't impact us in some way. When we were in kindergarten we learned that it was important to share. And the only way we as a country and as individuals could have gotten through this was because of sharing. We shared our feelings - by telephone, television, written messages of hope or cheer or sympathy, and over social media - and we learned (again) that we are not alone. We are a community always connected by what we share. We need each other! And we are needed in return. ~ Sandra Caton I've learned to appreciate even more San Gorgonio Hospital which is delivering daily dinners to their volunteers who are under quarantine. The many waves from neighbors and friends on my daily walks with my dog are uplifting and gratifying. Instacart and Zoom apps are sustaining, keeping us healthy physically and emotionally. I am grateful for the people who call and ask to be included in the All Is Well Program so that they may have daily assurance of human contact. ~ Barbara Searcy This has been an interesting time, no doubt. I have learned that I am quite content to be by myself, doing so many things around the house that have been put off until "later." I love my house and I love being here. It doesn't feel like a punishment to me because I have everything I need. I do miss being with my friends. We may not have visitation rights, but we can still chat on the phone or text or email. I don't have to worry about my hair or how I'm dressed because no one is likely to drop in! I have learned that I need to change up what I do every day, so that all my days do not look the same. I may sew one day, make cards another, clean out a cabinet still another day. This too shall pass. ~ Sallie Flesher A major lesson I learned during this time is how much I take for granted! I hope I will never again be unappreciative of so many things – especially HUGS and shopping without a mask and gloves. This experience, unlike anything I have ever experienced before, makes me so grateful for all the blessings in my life. ~ Marcia Gold We never quite realize how blessed we are until we are unable to experience the little things we have always taken for granted such as the freedom to come and go and move about freely whenever we want. I think after this is all over we will all see the freedoms we enjoy with a new set of eyes. I also learned that we must always have a good supply of toilet paper on hand. And, after almost 45 years, there's no one I'd rather be hunkered down with than my husband and best friend, Bill. ~ Anita Lawrence Lessons Learned Looking Ahead