When we decided to make Carolina Meadows our home, I thought we needed the most living space we could get. Carolina Meadows offered Independent Living floor plans ranging from 717 to 2,912 square feet. We chose the largest one. We were moving out of a big, old, three-story house with more room to stuff treasures into corners than anyone should ever have. I could not imagine how we were going to go from that big space to a smaller space.

If I had only known then that we don’t even need all the space we have now! Our life at Carolina Meadows is so much more than what goes on in our home. We love our villa but we live all over the campus.  Meeting friends for meals, attending lectures, going to classes and exercising in the wellness center are regular activities now.

I often think that living at Carolina Meadows it is like living on a college campus. When I was a “Wildcat” at Kansas State University, I was living with people in my age group who had similar interests and intellectual curiosities. We all lived in small rooms but our lives were lived in various spaces on campus.  My life today is much the same.

I personally like the idea of less time spent cleaning, feeling mentally free from possessions owning you instead of you owning your possessions, being forced to pare down belongings, and having less temptation to accumulate things.  Retirement should mean freedom. Living a simpler life brings that freedom.