Four retired men are walking down a street in Yuma , Arizona . They turn a corner and see a sign that says, “Old Timers Bar – ALL drinks 10 cents.”
They look at each other and then go in, thinking this is too good to be true. The bartender says in a voice that carries across the room, “Come on in and let me pour one for you! What’ll it be?”
There’s a fully stocked bar, so each of the men orders a martini.
In no time the bartender serves up four iced martinis shaken, not stirred, and says, “That’ll be 10 cents each, please.”
The four guys stare at the bartender for a moment, then at each other. They can’t believe their good luck. They pay the 40 cents, finish their martinis, and order another round.
Again, four excellent martinis are produced. “That’s 40 cents, please.”
They pay the 40 cents, but their curiosity gets the better of them. They’ve each had two martinis and haven’t even spent a dollar yet.
One of them asks, “How can you afford to serve martinis as good as these for a dime apiece?”
“I’m a retired tailor from Phoenix , and I always wanted to own a bar. Last year I hit the lottery for $125 million and decided to open this place. Every drink costs a dime. Wine, liquor, beer it’s all the same.”
“Wow! That’s some story!”
As the four of them sip their martinis, they can’t help noticing seven other people at the end of the bar who don’t have any drinks in front of them and haven’t ordered anything the entire time they’ve been there.
Nodding at the seven at the end of the bar, one of the men asks the bartender, “What’s with them?”
The bartender says, “They’re retired people from The Villages, Florida . They’re waiting for happy hour when drinks are half-price…”
There’s a bit of truth to that. There are several myths regarding The Villages, but the popularity of happy hour isn’t one of them. The biggest reason that I like it here is everyone is from someplace else. No one cares where you came from, how important you were in your prior life, how much or how little money you made, how big your house is, what kind of car you drive, where you plan to vacation, and on and on.
The biggest issue for some is the number of snowbirds – those of us who live part-time here and part-time somewhere else. Ruth and I live here about six months and six in Michigan. Some people who live here full-time resent having to share things with those of us who are only here for part of the year. They may find it more difficult to get a tee-time at the exact time they’d like on the exact course they prefer to play, but with over 690 holes of golf, spread out on a dozen country clubs, and over 40 executive courses, there’s always an open time somewhere. We’ve got over 90 public pools, about forty recreation centers, and 3,000 clubs to suit the varied interests of the 128,000 residents. There are a multitude of activities, and if you prefer, you can just do nothing.
Ruth refers to us as WRENS – Winter Residents Entitled to Nothing. The truth of the matter is that if it weren’t for the WRENs who financially support the local economy full-time, those who live here year round wouldn’t have the lifestyle they enjoy. The entire economy is based upon everyone paying full-time “dues” without the benefit of full-time perks. Everyone has the option of determining how long they wish to stay, as long as they support the system full-time.
When I retired I wanted to spend my winters in a warm climate. My goal is to never shovel snow again. I have met that goal during most winters. When you step away from the life you lived in the working world, most of us do it so that we have time to enjoy the things that make us happy. Ruth and I have been fortunate to do just that.
We worked hard when we were young so that we could play more as we’ve gotten older. We don’t celebrate happy hour every day, but I’m thankful to have the days we do. If you’d like to join us, there’s always room for one more at the bar.