The old script is gone. It's a great time for renewal, so
make the most of it.
The bad news is you'll eat alone, not know how to find your way
around, have no close friends nearby and dwell daily in the
unfamiliar. At times, you'll feel uncertain and ungrounded. Moving
is difficult at any age, but it becomes more challenging the older
you get. You have more to leave -- friends, memories and comfortable
routines. In your present locale, you know how to get everywhere and
where to find everything. You fit in and belong. All that will
change when the movers arrive.
It's a new beginning, but not always an easy one. Life can feel
exciting and fulfilling -- and isolating and lonely. It takes moxie
to lessen your difficulties and enhance your opportunities. Social
groups and dating clubs catering to the need of the growing number
of relocating singles to make new friends are also gaining steam.
Whatever your romantic goals, the great thing about online dating is
that singles aren't just "out there" — they're right here in your
PC, just waiting for you to take notice.
Before You Move
1. Have a plan. Before you relocate, spend time reflecting on who
you are and what you want your life to be like in your new home.d
running when you arrive.
2. Subscribe to the Sunday paper and the community newspaper of your
new city or town for a few months before you arrive.
3. Go to the Web. Information and assistance about your new location
is as near as your keyboard.
4. Contact any group you're affiliated with and ask for the name of
a local contact in your new community.
5. Send change of address cards to everyone on your holiday card
list.
After You Arrive
1. Say, "Yes." This is a new life adventure, an opportunity to start
over again. Sure, you're an adult with definite preferences, but
life is filled with new possibilities. Say "yes" to something you've
never tried before.
2. Instead of being alone, take the initiative. Don't keep score of
who invited whom how many times.
3. Volunteer. One of the best ways to learn about a community and
make friends is to volunteer.
4. Get a schedule. With a wide-open calendar, life can seem
overwhelming. What will you do to fill up your leisure hours?
5. Meet your neighbors. Find out what's going on in your immediate
community
6. Be on vacation. Make your new environment your playground. Get a
guidebook and explore.
7. Make yourself comfortable. Spend time and money making yourself
physically and emotionally "at home" in your new surroundings.
8. Use your support system. Plan on having a large phone bill for
the first six months to a year.
9. Give yourself a break. Starting over is hard work and takes time.
The best advice in the world won't change the enormous emotional and
physical upheaval relocating can present. But life at the end of a
long-distance move is good if not better. It takes time and patience
to make lasting friendships and feel comfortable. Remember, friends
are acquaintances who have stood the tests of time and life. And
that's something
|
