What Aviva Means to Me

From Resident Bill Palace comes a meaningful and heartfelt account of his journey to Aviva.

What is Aviva?

When one translates Aviva from Hebrew to English, the translation boils down to the concept of springtime—the rebirth of nature; the beginnings of new life.

And that's what Aviva means to me; the beginnings of a new life. After 55 years of a happily married life, I was living alone in a large house, preparing and eating three meals each day all alone. Every day I would do the same chores, read the daily newspaper, shop for groceries, and prepare meals. There was no joy in my life.

After brooding for a few months, I decided that a change was needed and I began to search for a new place to live—a place that would be easy to maintain; a place where I would be among other people; a place that was multicultural; and most importantly, a place I could comfortably afford.

I began my search looking close to home and near my one outlet where I do volunteer work. The two places I visited were less than two years old and still had the "smell" of fresh. But the apartments were tiny and at the view from the window was either overlooking a parking lot or a shopping center. I then expanded my search area to include Venice, Lakewood Ranch, and Bradenton. I visited about six or seven places but found serious fault with every one. Despondency doesn't even come close to the way I was feeing.

I remembered that about twenty-five years ago, my dad, who was at that time recently widowed, moved to a place called Kobernick House. Perhaps, I thought, I should look there.

Much to my pleasant surprise, Kobernick was no longer Kobernick—it had been transformed into Aviva Senior Living. To make a very long and boring story shorter and to the point, I moved in. I found that the residents were not only very friendly and receptive to newcomers, but they also were quick to offer invitations to join them for dinners and communal activities (of which there are many).

As an octogenarian, I thought I would be among the older of the residents, but I found that there were many here in their nineties, a few over one hundred, and many much younger than me. There are artists who live here and offer their talents teaching others. There are musicians who entertain us daily. There are more residents with advanced university degrees than one might find in a local college. What a treat it is to listen to a lecture given by one of these people without having to pay tuition or prep for an exam.

In summary, I believe I made the right decision. I had to make a major adjustment to my previous lifestyle. Downsizing is never easy, especially when one has to surrender items that have cherished over the years. But I have finally come to the realization that "things" are not important. People and relationships are important. And I have found here people I like and admire.