| Â | | | | When moving to a new place and looking to make |
| Making Friends | | | | some new acquaintances and connections there are |
| Â | | | | things you can do. It does take some work and effort. |
| Friends are so important, especially as we age. Our | | | | Here is the list: |
| good friends are like chosen family. They often treat | | | | Â |
| us better than some of our family members. There | | | | 1. Join a church |
| are many kinds of friendships as well as many | | | | 2. check for activity centers |
| reasons why we select certain people to be our friend. | | | | 3. Join a gym |
| Sometimes it is as simple as living close to each other. | | | | 4. Join the chamber of commerce |
| Sometimes it is about having a common interest or | | | | 5. Go on line to find the activities available in your area |
| need. Sometimes we just like each other and have | | | | 6. Find clubs or groups that share your interests |
| absolutely nothing in common. | | | | 7. Volunteer |
| We meet these friends at a variety of places. When | | | | 8. Be friendly and interested in others |
| we have young children it is really easy to find friends. | | | | Very often people are caught up in their own lives and |
| Our kids almost bring them home to us. As we get | | | | activities, so you have to have a lot of patience. The |
| older and perhaps no longer working or doing a lot of | | | | most difficult thing is to find friends who you personally |
| volunteer work, it becomes far more difficult to meet | | | | can connect with. Very often they just come out of |
| and make these friends. | | | | the blue. |
| Aging also brings on other issues. Sometimes people | | | | When living in Florida I had a part time job doing |
| are bombarded with financial and medical problems | | | | "Welcome Home Services. I delivered information |
| that keep them from being social. Some people seem | | | | about the area to new families having just moved |
| to be happy to keep the friends they have and not | | | | there. I was delivering my information to a very nice |
| make new ones. When you are older and want to | | | | lady, and I was just getting up to leave, and she |
| make some new friends you have to put yourself and | | | | mentioned a book she had read. I had read it and |
| sometimes get out of your comfort zone. You have to | | | | loved it…We became lifelong friends. |
| be the inviter often and gently push your way in to a | | | | Never dishearten as there are many people out there |
| group that is already settled. | | | | who would love a wonderful friend like you. |