A few months ago, we decided to move to Thornton Oaks to start the next chapter of our lives. Moving is never easy, and we needed some big-time help. Some friends recommended we hire SimplySized Home, a brilliant suggestion. Kim, the company’s founder, and Eva, one of her trusty assistants, were amazing at every step of the process. Not only did they help make decisions as to what to keep (or give to Goodwill or Habitat or to pitch), they packed up stuff and supervised the move while we were in Florida for three weeks. Anyone who’s ever moved at our age knows the stress that comes with trying to decide what to keep or throw away or put in storage. We kept hearing a common refrain, “When in doubt, throw it out.”

Eva and other SimplySized Home workers even unpacked our things at Thornton Oaks. They put everything in place and, the final touch, made the bed. And they sent photos of our ready-to-move-into apartment to us in Florida.

The weather had been perfect on Anna Maria Island until the day before we were scheduled to fly home. We heard that a snowstorm was forecast for Brunswick on Saturday, so we decided to head back a day early. Luckily, we were able to book a flight. The taxi pulled into the main building at Thornton Oaks at 1:30 a.m.

So far, so good. Our four sons had chipped in to purchase a beautiful bouquet of flowers and have it delivered to our apartment. (Note: Adult kids love it when they know they won’t have to sort through all their parents’ stuff.) The place looked terrific.

And then things got not quite so good. The snow/ice storm basically shut down Midcoast Maine thanks to power outages. We had difficulty starting our car but eventually managed to do so. And the power went out Saturday night, so we had no electricity for two days, although our apartment had heat and hot water. We didn’t have television, but we didn’t miss it at all.

On Sunday, Chris — our invaluable resource for helping us whenever needed — sent a text with some good news (he’d cleared the driveway in our Meadowbrook house of debris from the storm) and bad news (a 40-foot limb had fallen from a tree in the back yard, barely missing our soon-to-be-on-the-market house). Kudos and a big thanks to WellTree, which took care of that issue a few days later.

While our move to Thornton Oaks was a tad unusual, the transition was surprisingly smooth. The maintenance staff cleared the parking lot and made sure residents had what they needed. The residents — our new “family” — greeted us warmly. We found that the apartment had ample space for our belongings and ourselves. In fairness, how much space and stuff does one really need at our age?

During our first week, we shared meals with several bright and interesting people, most of whom we’d never met before. Gracious young people served as waiters, most of whom are still in high school. We attended the monthly Resident Meeting. We discovered a fine lending library on the third floor, which is run by residents and works on the honor system. We enjoyed a showing of “Easter Parade,” the 1948 film classic starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. As one person observed, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” And we joined the Scrabble group. Maybe I’ll join the writers group or help on the newsletter or return to the bridge table.

One afternoon, we attended a piano concert held in the main lobby of Thornton Oaks. The young pianist played a variety of pieces, including Chopin’s “Nocturne in C sharp minor,” which I recalled my dad playing years ago as did his mother (a piano teacher) before him. Hearing the pianist inspired me to put in more time on the baby grand piano, which we’d decided to keep for now. Maybe I’ll try to get a teacher to provide more incentive to practice.

When young people head off to college, they have the opportunity to reinvent themselves — meet new people, find new interests, discover new passions. There’s no good reason that people who are just a little older — okay, a lot older — can’t do the same thing when they find themselves starting a new chapter.

And then there’s the larger message. The power outage affected virtually everyone in Midcoast Maine. For the most part, people seemed to take it in stride, helping out strangers as well as each other. That’s a good reminder that whatever our age, sex, background or — it must be said in today’s polarized America — political leanings, we’re all in this together.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.

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