My Life Here in God’s Waiting Room – Florida

As a senior who lives in southeast Florida more than half the year I appreciated Lisa Black’s thoughtful essay. I have a slightly different take on how one might handle the “golden” years of their life. I think we can both slow down AND speed up, depending on our priorities at each moment and time. This is one of the great benefits of retirement from full-time work. The way we choose to live those years is differently nuanced for each of us.

Mam. Hope you smell the Roses along the way. Life is short but it does have beauty along the way!! Know God's Waiting Room is the next stop & going in with a Smile & gives a Laff!!
Cheers.

Thanks for the nice comments!!

John Brady Comment: Thank you Lisa for sharing your perspective on Florida's retirement people. There is such a negative stereotype out there it is refreshing to hear such a positive account!

Perhaps somewhere along the way I've heard of "God's waiting room". It makes me smile and feel good. All of life is God's waiting and training room. Use it well and 5o the best that you can, wisely. I'm a very active 76 year old with one small detail added: I have refused delivery of the message about being old or older. Old is a number; old is a state of mind. Good article. When I have time I'm going to check out Lisa's two series.

I worked in Orlando ca '86-'94. One of my co-workers introduced me to "gods waiting room" and told a story of St Petersburg drug store where the old codgers would congregate on a bench out front. Each hour, a new special would be announced and the group would get up to shop the hourly sale. It is probably this store -- https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2019/08/18/webbs-city-closed-40-years-ago-today-what-happened-to-the-worlds-most-unusual-drug-store/

Interesting interview and follow-on comments. But… My son and his young family live in Vero Beach. Last year they had trouble finding a home insurer and had to settle for one that doubled their rate. Yesterday, State Farm joined the long list of insurers who won’t cover Floridians. Young families and singles have options for relocation that seniors do not, at least not most seniors. Play this out and you have great material for a Twilight Zone episode. Plot line: Successful Florida novelist goes to sleep one night, awakens in the morning to find EVERYONE in her neighborhood or building, at the local supermarket, in the local park…walks with a cane or is in a wheelchair. Everyone under the age of 60 is gone. And the Weather Channel, playing in the background, warns of a Cat 5 hurricane on the way that will swamp half the state. (Remember the ending of On The Beach?) But, yes, the weather in January is better than it is in Connecticut. For now.

I’m not sure where Larry got his information, but State Farm is not leaving Florida. In a July 14, 2023, news article entitled “State Farm says it's sticking with Florida months after ceasing new applications in California,” Foxbusiness.com stated “State Farm Insurance said this week that it is sticking with Florida and sees more opportunity there, thanks to the state's recent reforms for the industry, issuing a statement on the matter days after competitor Farmers Insurance became the latest insurer to reduce coverage in the state.” I do agree that the state’s administration and legislature have not done nearly enough to address Florida’s home insurance crisis, but State Farm isn’t leaving. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/state-farm-doubles-down-florida-farmers-insurance-pulls-back

Clyde, thanks for the correction. Apologies to all and to State Farm. The headline I read was about Farmers Insurance which, aparently, is not going to sell some types of insurance in the state.