Living in Seal Beach Leisure World: The Retirement Community I Once Dreamed About
Sometimes a Place Stays in Your Heart
Sometimes a place enters your life long before you realize that one day, it will become home.
I first came to Seal Beach Leisure World when I was in my 40s.
At the time, my husband was serving as an associate pastor, and part of his ministry involved caring for older members of our church. Some of them lived in Leisure World, so I occasionally came here when we visited them.
Until then, I didn't even know that a retirement community like this existed.
I have always loved being near the ocean and the water, so there was something about this place that immediately stayed in my heart.
I remember hearing that a one-bedroom home here cost around $70,000 at the time.
Today, that number may sound surprisingly inexpensive. But back then, even $70,000 felt completely beyond my reach.
Still, I remember thinking,
“Wouldn't it be wonderful if someday, when we retire, we could live here?”
So I prayed about it.
There was no financial plan behind that prayer. I had no idea how it could ever happen.
It was simply a small hope I placed before God.
And then life went on.
Decades Passed
The years that followed were full.
There was ministry, raising our family, work, responsibilities, unexpected challenges, and all the ordinary things that fill a life.
I certainly wasn't spending those years planning how I would someday move to Leisure World.
In fact, that little prayer from my 40s eventually became one of those things tucked quietly away in the back of my mind.
Then, decades later, as my husband and I entered a new season of life, something unexpected happened.
The possibility of living here opened up again.
And one by one, circumstances that I could never have arranged on my own began to come together.
Eventually, the retirement community I had once visited became our home.
Only After Moving Here Did I Realize How Remarkable It Was
Before buying our home, I assumed that if someone had enough money to purchase a property in a 55+ community, that was essentially what mattered.
I soon learned that Leisure World doesn't quite work that way.
There are age requirements, financial qualifications, income requirements, asset requirements, and an approval process. The details can also vary depending on the Mutual.
Looking back, I realize that our timing mattered more than I understood at the time.
The financial pieces that needed to be in place were there when we needed them.
At the time, I was simply concentrating on getting through the purchasing process.
Only later did I begin to think:
How did all of this come together at exactly the right time?
That's when I remembered the prayer I had prayed in my 40s.
What I Love About Living in Seal Beach Leisure World
I had dreamed about living here someday.
But the funny thing is, I like it even more than I imagined I would.
Our home is small, and life here isn't about having a big house or living extravagantly.
For me, it's about something very different.
It's waking up in a community where I feel safe.
It's having so many of the things we need close by.
It's watching my husband head out to enjoy the sports he loves.
It's being able to go swimming outdoors and sometimes look up at the stars from the pool at night.
It's knowing that the ocean is only a short drive away.
And on evenings when I look outside and see just the right clouds in the sky, I know there may be a beautiful sunset coming.
So I grab my camera and hurry toward the beach before the sun disappears.
When I lived farther inland, I didn't know how much happiness something as simple as being close to the ocean could bring me.
Now, some of my favorite photographs are the sunsets I've captured since living here.
A Small Home That Feels Like Ours
Our home is part of a row of six attached units, so from the outside many of the homes can look similar.
I wanted ours to have a little personality of its own.
I also thought it would be nice if friends visiting us for the first time could easily recognize our home.
So I added an arch near the entrance and planted bougainvillea around it.
Right now, it's still growing.
But I'm hoping that by next year, the bougainvillea will cover the arch with flowers.
Maybe someday, instead of explaining exactly which unit is ours, I'll simply be able to say:
“Just look for the house with the bougainvillea arch.”
What I Didn't Expect Was the Sense of Community
Another thing I didn't fully understand before moving here was how comforting it would feel to have neighbors nearby who look out for one another.
When we travel, I feel comfortable leaving our little home behind.
Neighbors notice what's happening around them. Sometimes we can even ask someone nearby to keep an eye on things or help water the flowers while we're away.
As I've gotten older, I've begun to appreciate this kind of simplicity more.
A smaller home means less to clean and maintain.
A safe community means less worry when we travel.
And having people around us gives the neighborhood a feeling that is difficult to measure in dollars.
Some Days, It Still Feels Like a Dream
Sometimes I think back to the woman I was in my 40s.
I came here to visit older members of our church.
I didn't even know places like this existed.
I heard that a one-bedroom home cost around $70,000 and thought even that was far beyond what I could imagine for myself.
Still, I quietly prayed:
“Maybe someday.”
Today, I live here.
I swim under the evening sky.
I can drive to the ocean when the clouds tell me a beautiful sunset may be coming.
I'm growing bougainvillea over the entrance to our little home.
My husband has found a community where he can stay active doing the things he loves.
And we're living a retirement life that, decades ago, I couldn't have planned for myself.
Sometimes I still look around and think,
“How did we ever get here?”
For me, the answer is gratitude.
Life here still feels a little like a dream.
Coming Next
Want to Live in Seal Beach Leisure World? What I Wish I Had Known Before Retirement
When I moved here, I discovered something I hadn't understood before: having enough money to buy a home doesn't necessarily mean you'll qualify to live here.
In my next post, I'll share what I learned about the age, income, asset and financial requirements — and why I think anyone considering Leisure World should start researching them before fully retiring.
Disclosure: This post reflects my personal experience living in Seal Beach Leisure World. Community rules, eligibility requirements, fees, amenities, and other details can change and may vary by Mutual. Please verify current information directly with Leisure World Seal Beach before making housing or financial decisions.
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