| Recent college graduates and single transferees may have desires and interests which are quite different from their married counterparts. When they move into unfamiliar territory, they may have different needs as far as housing and leisure activities are concerned. Local businesses are finding a way to tap into the relocating singles market by providing more personal assistance to help new residents settle into the area. Relocation can sometimes provides an opportunity to rethink your life plans and goals. It can be a chance to dump old baggage and recreate onesself. This may include a change in hairstyle, lifestyle, behavior or even nickname. |
| 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 |
