By George Sorrell, December 9, 2019
We moved to HSV from Florida. After 3 years of searching for an Arkansas retirement location, we finally chose HSV and moved here in 2013. I will admit I missed Florida for a time. I missed the palm trees and longed for the Gulf of Mexico as a neighbor. But eventually, all of that melted away and I awaken to the HSV world.
I became a convert and now I never want to leave this way of living. It suits me well as I near my 80’s birthday. So, I thought I would just put down my thoughts and try to describe why I love the Village.
Services
This leads me to one of the most valuable things about The Village that I would never think to consider when buying a home. There are many people available to help with painting, yard work, repairing, plumbing, roofing, cleaning, and electrical services. The competition for these services is the reason for the reasonable fees if you are willing to shop around. As an older person with a bad back, it is good to have helpers available to perform these needed tasks.
Neighbors
Another important aspect to living the good life is our neighbors. These are the good folks we are blessed to have in our immediate vicinity. They are ready to help at a moment’s notice but they do not meddle in anyone’s affairs. Perhaps this is also a burden because we have lost a number of these dear people in just 6 short years. It is, unfortunately, the natural result of living in a community of retired and older individuals.
What is “IT” about HSV?
It seems to me most of us who move to HSV very quickly adapt to this lifestyle and most develop a deep love and appreciation for it. If I were to try to describe the “IT”, it would be very difficult to craft the words. So I will dash off descriptive adjectives with some hope the right words will appear on this page. Anyone reading this is free to disagree or else add adjectives I’ve inadvertently omitted.
- Quiet/Reserved
- Organized activities for like-minded people to gather and enjoy each other’s company as well as the chosen activity.
- Isolation/seclusion if preferred
- Volunteerism everywhere
- Peaceful and serene
- Beautiful surroundings with rolling hills, Valleys, Lakes and foliage
- Golf and other sports abound for those interested
- Security (even though some say our gates aren’t as secure as they would prefer). I feel more secure than do my family members who live in the North Little Rock area where there are no gates. Security is a matter of degrees.
Medical
We do not have a hospital in the middle of our environment, but we are only 20 miles from emergency care from two hospitals should there be a need. Our water bill includes a small fee for ambulance coverage. It turns out we’ve had to use this service and I must say that it is a blessing. In an emergency, I don’t want to find myself worrying about an ambulance bill when a loved one needs medical assistance.
Health and Fitness
We have an excellent Fitness center. Alas, I do not take advantage of this facility nearly as often as I should.
Should we move to HSV?
For anyone who considers HSV as a possible retirement destination, I must say our world is not for everyone. Also, we have problems people are trying to resolve. That is why I would guess, there are some who want to change the Village. I personally am opposed to the idea of changing the Village simply because I have been so happy living here. I missed the Florida lifestyle for a brief time early in 2013. However, eventually, the HSV “thing” seeped into my being and now I do not want to lose it. To underscore this, I would not like to move back to Florida because I’ve learned to enjoy our new way to live.
This is a recommendation for anyone considering buying a dwelling and moving to HSV. Spend a week (longer if possible) at one of the many condos/houses available for rent and make an attempt to drink in what I am trying to describe. As I said, we are not for everyone. But for every individual who would not like HSV, there must be five like me who would quickly adapt and then never want to leave.
That is my opinion, what’s yours?
By George Sorrell, December 9, 2019
Lloyd Sherman
12/09/2019 — 8:27 am
Extremely well written George and spot on. While all of your points are a consideration as to why we have no intention of leaving, my top three are peaceful and serene, security and volunteerism. I lived my younger years in a rural setting and that is where I might finish my golden years; I love that we have a level of security (it may not be perfect, but it is security), and I guess the major eye-opener to me has been the giving and volunteerism that exists within the bounds of HSV. As stated, it is not for everyone, but I believe those who give it a try, will move here. I am an active real estate agent and I am yet to tour anyone who doesn’t go away saying WOW. They may decide this wasn’t for them but they really liked what they saw and experienced.
Mary Szczepaniak
12/10/2019 — 8:49 am
TY, George, for this well-written article. I couldn’t have said it better. It is spot on.
Ann Clingman
12/10/2019 — 1:26 pm
Thank you. This is so true for us as well. We have been here for 6 months and we love it. We have great neighbors and friends. We moved here from the Atlantic Ocean in our back yard. I miss the ocean and very close friends but we can always visit. This is our forever home now( until Jesus takes us to His home).