A Day in the Life – Joe and Margaret

Joe and Margaret Skovira moved to Kendal at Lexington in June 2017 from their nearby home in Lexington. They retired to Rockbridge County & Lexington from Northern Virginia 14 years ago and joined the Wait List, and decided that it was time to move to Kendal when they grew weary of maintaining their home. They have quickly become very involved in community life, with Joe becoming president of the Residents Association in March of 2018.

Couple sitting on bench

Now that they have been residents for a full year, what is a typical day like for them?

Morning – Joe and Margaret start their day together with 15 minutes of stretching, followed by breakfast. Joe participates in classes in the Fitness Center three mornings a week and uses the weight room those days also. Margaret uses the pool regularly and takes Fitness classes, such as Strength and Stretch.

Lunch – Joe and Margaret enjoy lunch together in their apartment – a new thing for them. Prior to moving to Kendal, they were often gone mid-day with their various activities. But now their activities are more centralized – although diverse – and they are enjoying the extra “together” time.

Afternoon – Joe always takes a short nap to re-charge, and then goes to one of his activities or meetings. He says that he spends more time on volunteer work in Lexington than previously because he doesn’t have to spend so much time on yardwork. He has become actively involved in the local food pantry as well as the nearby nature center, Boxerwood Gardens. This is also in addition to the monthly meetings that are part of his Residents’ Association responsibilities.

Margaret spends her afternoons on her volunteer interests which center on local history. She is also co-chairing the Welcome Committee and writes a history column for the Resident Newsletter. She enjoys the lectures that tend to happen in the late afternoon at Kendal, and they both look forward to the weekly Wine & Conversation hour.

Dinner – Joe and Margaret make a point of eating with different people every night. Margaret says that the best thing about the community at Kendal at Lexington is the supportive environment. The positive atmosphere and the level of appreciation shown for their involvement has been the best surprise about moving to Kendal.

Evening – They almost always go to the Monday and Thursday night movies, or stay in and watch TV or read. Joe is also becoming famous for his nightly walks around the campus with their cat, Lexie, who walks on a leash. Lexie is very content with his new life also!