I enjoy the walk from my apartment to the other buildings and activity sites of our upscale retirement community: Resource Center, Surround Sound Theater, Performing Arts center, Fitness Center, the bank and gift shop etc. The pleasurable beauty of the Prairie style architecture, and the cool ceiling and door lighting fixtures are never tiring.

I marvel at the information freely given by my neighbors at each door I pass. I use the name plaques to reinforce my memory and visualize those I know. For those I have not yet met, I embed the name in my mind, until I meet that neighbor.

But, my favorite pleasure is stopping to closely look at the Little Shelves outside most doors. Take a look yourself and discover some of the special interests of your neighbor. The Little Shelves reveal a lot. I gaze at shelf photos of members and family--many grandchildren. Some photos of good times, long past, and good times just lived. How nice they look, then, now and during the passage of time.

Squeezed onto these Little Shelves are flowers, real & artificial, highlighting the seasons or special meanings. Many arrangements, carefully designed, are beautiful. One will never go hungry during a stroll around our buildings because members offer a variety of sweets to those passing by: chocolates and hard candy. Like the flowers, the types of candy differ at Easter, Halloween & Christmas.

The souvenirs, on the little shelves, hint at the travels taken or at some special love of the decorator. There are sculptured birds and grand elephants from India. Dolls displayed for beauty or as a reminder, to oneself, of a reassuring security needed long ago.

Yes! There are stories on the Little Shelves, interesting stories worth knowing about. Ask your neighbor tomorrow about their memories resting quietly on their Little Shelves.

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