We’ve had enough of this word. People don’t like it any more. It must go away now.
Why … because the word ‘retirement’ doesn’t mean what it used to. Retirement is no longer all about doing nothing and having relaxation forced upon one. It’s not about retiring from society and becoming insular, losing a sense of self-worth. It’s not about going off somewhere quiet … to die quietly. On the contrary, retirement these days is all about strength, wisdom, fun and new found youthfulness and resource. It’s a new start in life and should be invigorated by a new vibrancy. It’s OK, never mind the fact that it’s an earned right, to have fun after 60 and this is something that a lot of people who haven’t yet reached that age don’t realise … that they might even enjoy themselves more than when they were younger and that retirement simply isn’t what it used to be.
So while the word retirement may not appeal to everyone, it all depends on where you choose to retire and what you choose to do in your later years … and then the word retirement takes on an entirely different meaning.
Here’s an example of two people who have just discovered another side to themselves and seen the potential of a joyful ‘senior’ life. Yes, they’re ‘retired’ and they are in retirement … that word again … but they aren’t tired. They’re so busy, in fact, that they have to plan to relax or things could get out of hand.
Napier Retirement Village
Mary-Anne Border used to teach art in a gentle sort of way in Cape Town. She moved into Napier Retirement Village only to find a new found inspiration burning in her heart and now she’s expressing sheer activism in her art … she’s churning out paintings with a strong message from her studio every day.
Anna Chadwick wanted to retire to a brand new life when she moved to Napier, where a new lease of life now envelops her. She wakes up every day excited about what she’s going to do because there’s so much to do … while fitting in some work in her garden which has already won her praise. Anna won the ‘best patio garden’ in the Overberg competition recently … not a bad achievement for just ten months’ work.
Evidence suggests then that people who retire to Napier end up going there to ‘live’ … and some of them even live it up. Retirees at Napier Retirement Village find that they are able to live a life less ordinary and one that’s an infinite improvement on what they had envisaged. While it may seem like a sleepy hollow, there’s a lot more on offer in Napier than first meets the eye.
Napier
Basically a quiet, small town in the Overberg in the Western Cape, Napier is also bustling away quietly in the background too. People who pass through Napier en route to the coast invariably think “that’s a pretty village”, and leave it at that, but if you stop and take a closer look, Napier’s tangible vibrancy, creative spirit and overt friendliness begin to seep into your consciousness. It offers its 4 000 residents loads of things to do – fourteen restaurants, numerous galleries, local wineries and churches, its own butcher, baker, a dairy, brewery (the most southern in Africa) and a burgeoning community of artistic and creative residents. Lying at the foot of the Soetmuisberg, Napier appeals to a wide range of people who find a commonality in being ever so slightly quirky, offbeat and always interesting.
Napier’s residents like it because you can explore and be the person you are. If you’re considering your retirement options, Napier Retirement Village offers the freedom, the choice and, for peace of mind and in case you need it, the medical support you want too.
Situated on the top of a hill in Napier, the “Ou skool” (Old School) is an impressive building with wooden floors, high ceilings and a rich history. It’s been lovingly restored and is now the nucleus of the Napier Retirement Village. Residents of Napier Retirement Village are all independent – they can either live in detached Cape cottages, in terraced houses in the Ou Skool’s converted woodwork building or in bachelor courtyard units in the main Ou Skool building, where the nursing and healthcare services are as convenient as the library, dining and living rooms.
Clubhouse – Napier Retirement Village
For more information visit the website www.napiervillage.co.za