toscana by Mark Gatchell
Time to Renew What a year we have all had! After the trials and tribulations of 2020, I'm sure many of you, like me, are looking for a little brighter year in 2021. I wanted to start out with a huge "THANK YOU!" to all of our amazing Toscana residents. So many of you have sent kind words and encouraging messages to our team over the past year and we cannot express how grateful we are for all your support as we work tirelessly to keep spirits high during this "new normal" (is anyone else tired of hearing that phrase?). We have had to pivot on a dime, recreating many of our signature events and coming up with all new events. While we haven't been able to see you as much as we'd like, our online and pick-up events, such as Zen Boxes, Zoom Friendsgiving, Bingo, and Trivia Nights, have enabled us to stay connected! The Brusters ice cream kits have had an overwhelmingly positive response, and we appreciate our new relationship with a family-owned and operated, local business. With the New Year upon us, you must "harness your energy by focusing on the things you’ve done that have put you in, what Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi has called, “flow.” What is “flow?" Can you recall a time when you were doing something and you PAGE 5
totally lost track of time, felt completely immersed in what you were doing, and, at the same time, felt a great sense of satisfaction and meaningfulness? That, in a nutshell, is flow. Be creative as you begin to think about what you want to do next, and get a bead on the things you do that put you in flow. Flow can be achieved through many activities—gardening, knitting, writing, playing sports, helping others, and almost anything else—and try to think about those activities in more abstract terms. What parts of them put you in flow? Is there a way of incorporating some of those experiences into where you’re going next?" Read more about getting a fresh start here. I want to continue bringing you the events you know and love, while staying creative and opened-minded with your suggestions and ideas on new events. We encourage you to participate in the Lifestyle Committee meetings to share your thoughts and ideas as we go forward.
