Good morning!
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching of late about the importance of friendship and relationship, what I actually want, and how to make sure I’m moving in the right direction.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Good morning!
Three years ago I retired and moved to a new community – all at once. These were two major life changes, and although I do not regret either one it was a lot of change at once.
Leaving work meant leaving community, and moving to a new community meant, for a time at least, I’d be standing on the edge of community.
I’m not a particularly social person, but I do like to know people; to have people around me that I can bump into during the day and with whom I can have a comfortable and maybe interesting exchange.
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching of late about the importance of friendship and relationship, what I actually want, and how to make sure I’m moving in the right direction.
It turns out I actually miss going to the grocery store and knowing at least half the people there. Between a trip to the grocery store and my average work day I would get all the ‘socialization’ I needed for the day. Maybe even more.
I spent nearly 30 years in my last community. I’ll never know my new community in the same way. But I am making progress.
Something happened yesterday that made me feel hopeful. As I was driving out of the shared parking lot of our little neighbourhood, I yelled out the window ‘Good morning, Ron!’, as he was working in his yard. When I arrived in the parking lot of the thrift store I volunteer at a regular customer pulled up beside me. As I walked behind his vehicle I yelled out ‘Good morning, James!’
I didn’t stop to talk to either of them. But there was something in this repeated greeting, tossed off on a sunny morning, as I went about my day, that helped me remember that I am making progress. I am joining community.
And it's important to appreciate the small things.
