Who is Susan Nola and just exactly why should anyone care??

This saga, started late in December 2008, as a chronicle of my goal to reside in The Villages, between Ocala and Leesburg, in sunny north central Florida…happily, I moved into a rental property in May of 2009 and it was heaven. A golf cart, practically a nature preserve in the backyard complete with owls, bats, snakes, alligators and birds of all kinds…definitely heaven.

Then, in July of 2009, the end of my financial life, as I had known it prior to the loss of my corporate job late in 2005, was a reality. Years of exploration into trading options, real estate investing and trying to find a “real job” were replaced with the recognition that those days of complaining about commuting, the stress of the job, the constant rotating of managers…those days weren’t as bad as I had thought at the time. A steady paycheck, dental and vision benefits, regular contributions to my 401K, savings…it’s true, you really don’t know the value of what you have until it’s gone…

So, who is Susan Nola? Susan Nola is an alter ego for a displaced entity who has landed in Lady Lake, not by accident, but by design. Sort of. By design, only because every other avenue traveled, since being downsized by one of America’s top tech firms, essentially led to nowhere.  Or did it? Susan Nola personifies a person who carefully saved for retirement and then…here we are in The Villages, Florida.  AKA Heaven.

It was during a visit to Central Florida, while house sitting and spending time with resident horses, dogs and cats, for a week in October of 08, that she first heard of The Villages. A subsequent 3 day “Preview Visit”, sealed the decision to make a permanent move back to Florida…

How did she get here?? In January of 2008, fate introduced the catapult which would send Susan’s out in to the big unknown. The word catapult is not used by accident. Instead of a nudge into a new path, the experience was like that of someone doing a cannonball into the swimming pool; one minute a leaf is casually floating in the pool and the next, is thrown completely out of the pool with the resulting splash. An 8 year span was coming to an end, and although it was certainly time to move on, Susan’s host was caught totally unawares. It wasn’t just the need to find a new place to live, there was also the challenge of having to find a way to survive.

Susan Nola was “born” after a move, in June of 2008, to New Orleans, a journey which lasted just over 3 months, and which was precipitated by the offer of a $3,000 a month job offer providing leads to local real estate investors. The climate of New Orleans, because of Katrina and the current economic decline, was such that there were not many leads to provide. The offer of a place to live, an office, and a salary dissolved and the sense, and the reality, of the current economic climate increased. The evacuation due to Hurricane Gustav sealed the deal. Time to move again.

So, with no “home” to speak of, no steady income, no prospect of permanent employment, Susan Nola moved to Lady Lake, Florida to pursue the dream of somehow moving into the Villages. For a while, daily activities were recorded on this site…but with the devastating realization in July of 2009, life again took an abrupt turn. The edits ceased and the need for survival took precedence…and here it is, nearly September of 2010.

But…what a month September turned out to be!  The original muffler of the 89 Mustang GT Convertible fell off…The decision was made to stay put here in The Villages for at least a year…and, with that decision made…on September 17, 2010, Susan Nola (and I) became a Villager!!!!  Another big step, filing bankruptcy.   After a year of talking about it and preparing for it…that step has also been taken.   With no money for an attorney, the purchase of a NOLO 2010 Chapter 7 Bankruptcy book, it was pretty easy to do.   Liberating, actually.     September was just the beginning of the move to a new life…

What will the future hold? What avenues will Susan walk? Again, residing in The Villages, life goes on. Right now there are dance classes, practicing on the Squares when I can.   Dancing with Dean, Dean, the Dancing Machine in November after 3 weeks of swing dance lessons.  What fun we had!   There is a new muffler on the Mustang.   The recognition that a goal, set late in 2008, has finally been reached.   From a person who repeatedly stated that “I never make goals”…A goal was set, reached, recognized.  Liberating, more liberation!

So…the results of the past few months…the blog is somewhat active again…with tales about this slice of heaven known as The Villages.  Oh, and there will always be reportings of  the not so sweet reality as well.  If I’m in that kind of mood. 

Stay tuned for more and remember to check out Susan’s Blog for entries (when there is time to blog!)…