Quote:
Originally Posted by Polar Bear
Okay...this seems like the right thread to ask about something. My wife and I have been in TV for a fairly short time. And what little time we've been here, I've spent a good portion of it recovering from knee replacement surgery. (Went well and recovery is going nicely, thank you very much!  )
Anyway...my wife and I are both by nature rather reclusive. (The word 'shy' probably even applies...heheh.) So while we're staying busy, making personal friends to socialize with does not come easily for us. Don't get me wrong. We're doing fine and we both have activities...dance troupe and golf (beginner) for my wife, softball, bowling, golf for me (with a hiatus due to surgery of course). We take some line-dancing classes and frequent the squares pretty regularly. We have some casual friends as a result. We're staying pretty busy and enjoying life in TV. So what's my question? Well...
Most of our close friendships from our pre-retirement life came from work. Retirement is...obviously...heheheh... a whole new world! Do you have any advice for TV newcomers who aren't as naturally adept at developing social friendships as most of you appear to be in this thread. Sounds like it comes very easily to most of you folks!  I'm not even sure of specifics I'm asking about...activities, clubs, groups, whatever. I'm just soliciting advice from the experts!!  |
My mom always said, to have a friend you have to be a friend. Saying that, Polar Bear, I will also say that people who I consider close friends in my life can be counted on one hand. But the people here I've met and consider friends and do social things with are people on my cul-de-sac, people I've met at the pool, people we bowl with and play shuffleboard with and people we played golf with and just took an instant liking to.
Our neighbors just took us under their wings and have loved us and adopted us as their own family. We made a point of introducing ourselves and going to their driveways when we saw them outside. We asked them for advise and they gladly gave it and we let them know we appreciated it and if their suggestions for various things worked or didn't work. We asked about their families and spouses and made a point of smiling and waving when we'd see them out.
At the pool, we would see people night after night and eventually we went out to eat and went see each other's houses and invited each other over to learn new card games or board games or just to watch a movie and before you knew it, we were going to funerals and kissing each other goodbye when people have moved away. This just in five years of owning here and three years of living here full-time. You have to hold your breath and close your eyes and take a chance. Life is short.
Ask people to teach you to play Mexican Train, Hand and Foot or join a shuffleboard team. Smile and ask people about restaurants and movies and then ask them to join you for a meal. I wish you the best. But it sounds like you are doing great and meeting people. Just take it another step and have them over for dessert or something.