Rules: Leisure World's 60 pages of them

In our country these days we seem to be experiencing the cultural sweepstakes of who has had their freedoms infringed upon the most.

And we just bought into a place where our "freedoms" are curtailed in more ways than they ever have been.  And we have bought into a place where 4000 other people probably have the same experience.

I find this fascinating.

There is a 34-page rule book for living here.  There is another rule book for what you can do architecturally---25 pages.  60 pages of rules!

Mind you, these are not laws.  All of the laws also have to be obeyed.

How is it that in a society where the average person bristles at any infringement on his rights to do whatever s/he wants that so many people will choose to live in a place where there are 60 pages of rules?

And Vicky and I seek isolation, both in our home on our five acres on Whidbey Island and in our pursuit of isolated and beautiful areas on our public lands.  How can a place like Leisure World fit into our "us?"  We will have next door neighbors---right next door! 

As I write this, we are sitting on the back patio of our rental in Leisure World.  It looks out upon the golf course like the house we have purchased does.

It is eerily quiet.  Right in the middle of the city, it is quiet.

There is a sameness to all of the homes here.  There are only certain colors you can paint your house and your trim.  Basically they are varying shades of boring--browns.  You can't fence in your yard.  Your back patio can have a fence, but only so high.  No chain link fences anywhere.

First of all, people who bristle at externally-imposed rules probably don't choose to live here.  They would be miserable.

But of more importance, we believe, is that the people who live here recognize that what they "give up" isn't very much, but what they get is a lot.  And it is easier to follow rules when everybody else is.  There is a feeling of fairness and equality that mitigates feelings of being imposed upon.

OK, so we can't paint our house yellow.  But there is no loud music and no barking dogs.  At all.  Everybody actually does drive under the 25 mph speed limit.

Psychologists who study stress have found that it isn't necessarily the big stressors in life that affect us, but, instead, unhappiness is caused by the collection of minor stresses---hassles.  Leisure World, due to its rules, reduces the hassle factor enormously.  Just obey the rules and you won't be hassled by minor things that, added up, create tension and stress.

In many ways, Leisure World reminds me of the M. Night Shamalyan movie The Village, about a town that at first blush appears to be in Revolutionary War times but is actually in modern times but protected by a large fence (and by fears of fearsome creatures that roam outside the town).  When you leave Leisure World you are hit in the face by the real world---traffic, noise, danger, etc.  Inside it is protected and safe and calm--streets are wide, people move slowly, you can't park on the street at night, there is a security force that's always present, and there are gates that restrict access to anyone who does not have permission to be here.   And all of the homes are varying shades of brown.

What a difference from Whidbey (Anything Goes) Island.  And in many ways, what a relief.

Our days here consist of walking about half an hour to the recreation center and finding a place to dance there:

 Of course before doing this, we checked at the recreation office to see if it was following the rules if we did this, and were told it was. 

Then we go to the Gym for 30 minutes and ride the exercise bicycles. There is a 20-minute limit on them if someone is waiting, so we adhere to this.  A rule.  There is also a rule that there is no photography in this room, for obvious reasons.  We adhere to this rule, and are glad that everyone else does too.

Then we go swimming for 30 minutes.  There is usually a water aerobics class meeting at the same time which has the "right of way," so we have to work around that.  Easy.  No inflatable devices, no running, no diving, etc. etc.

Then we walk home, carrying all of our stuff in our backpacks.  Already we are getting stopped by people who ask us if we are "hiking."  We say yes.

Then we sit on the back patio, watch the golfers, drink wine (me), knit (Vicky) until dinner.  It is OK for us to take a picture of us doing that:

 Of course most people who live here are retired and are, like us, old.  And there are no children here.  Somehow, for us though, the sounds of children aren't "noise," but the sounds of dogs, motorcycles, loud music, etc., are.   So we miss the children.

It is a very different way of living.  Almost 180 degrees from living on Whidbey Island which consists mostly of people who have moved there to retreat from the rules and structure of ordinary life.   But very similar to the lack of hassles that we experience when we camp on our public lands. On Whidbey Island we need 5 acres of buffer from other people, just to experience peace.  Here we don't. 

We like all of the places we live.