Skip to main content

by Carolyn Brown *as published in the April 2022 issue of the River Valley Sun

MacLeod Riverside Court has been a buzz of activity during the month of March. We celebrated eight birthdays, got the Gardening Club rolling again with lots of new members this year, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, had a pyjama day, hat day, tie day, crazy hair day, casual day and are thrilled to be able to unlock our doors and say “welcome world” at last.

It is so nice after so long to welcome back the ladies from the Quilt Guild, musicians and church members and pastors. For some of us, it seems to have been such a long stretch we have forgotten what normal actually feels like but recovery will be quick. We recognize we have enhanced some sanitizing and in-house procedures through all of this that we will continue to use in the interest of keeping everyone well and safe and we have no question the public will be fully respectful going forward.

These residents continue to inspire me in so many ways, but it is especially evidenced when I have a new resident moving in. They have all worn those shoes in coming to a new home, often more because of need and safety and health concerns versus actually wanting to leave their home. Because of that, they roll out a welcoming mat that is second to none because they know the feeling and have personally experienced it. They never fail to make a new resident feel welcome and help them be engaged in activities as they feel comfortable doing so. All this to say, it makes my job a lot easier!! So I say thank you to each and every one!!

We’ve likely all said the words “I’ll settle for that”, or “I’ll scale back some,” or maybe even, “ok, I give up.” Speaking of course only for myself, I plead guilty to all three. But then I ask, who wants to just settle? Scale back, well maybe some, but we wouldn’t want to miss anything so we have to be pretty selective on that one, and how do we grow and experience life if we give up? We may think about giving up but we can also think about finding a different way of doing something rather than just giving up. If you want to continue to age without growing old, throw out settling, scaling back and giving up and make life a journey of your making and full of your choices, not someone else’s. Furthermore, always believe in second chances. I’ve been blessed with many!! Life at MacLeod Riverside Court can be an amazing second chance!!!