When I drove back from New Jersey  last week,  I could not get over the amount of Moving Vans heading south. I’ve driven this route many times and never have I been so aware of so many vans.  Could there really be that many people heading south to put down roots?  I think so.  I also think that many of the snow birds are not returning home with the Robins, they are staying until May or June, which is the step prior to deciding to sell the northern home and calling themselves Floridians. When I was in New Jersey I visited friends at one of the Real Estate offices I was associated with and one of the Agents was sporting a beautiful tan.  I remarked how good he looked and where did he get that tan?  He said Florida and went on to say how much he loved Florida.    He said I just don’t know why people call Florida the Elephant Burial Ground.  Oh no, do they really say that?  It struck me funny until I really thought about it, then I was offended.  When I returned home and read the paper and saw all the activities…I couldn’t help but think, I’d like to see those making elephant remarks, keep up with the elephants in The Villages.   I’d like to see them join a Dragon Boat team, or play Golf, Tennis, Pickleball, go to lively discussions..book clubs, poetry workshops, civil discourse, how about those that bicycle hundreds of miles a week, and those that dance in the two Squares each night, or attend the many shows offered at one of The Villages’ centers, or be an attendee or participant in the many Art Shows, or Photography Shows…I could go on and on.  I couldn’t help but think of the elephants when I rode alongside the moving vans.  Lots of elephants’ possessions moving south.   I’ve thought about that remark quite a bit, but instead of being offended by it, I  have decided I rather like it.  Aren’t elephants known for their superior intelligence?  If so, those making remarks have it all wrong, if we are being compared to elephants then we must also possess their intelligence.   We didn’t come here to die, instead we came here to live.  And boy are we living.