Take a chance on me

If you're of a certain age or a fan of musical theater, you may even have an automatic soundtrack that starts up by hearing the title of this blog. But this is about something slightly different. 

If you had followed along with my last few blog posts, we just made a huge relocation. We liquidated nearly half our possessions and moved 800 plus miles away from all that was familiar. This all transpired in late May. 

The past month has been spent unpacking boxes, putting things into place, and finding ways to replace the things we shouldn't have sold as well as get rid of more things we should have. Note to the peanut gallery: it's really difficult to know what you will or won't use until you are living in the space. 

While most of our move was efficient, we have quickly noticed those areas of inefficiency. We have significantly fewer linens to wash and fold - fewer sheets, towels, and tablecloths. We have fewer dining service ware - fewer plates, fewer glasses, and fewer serving platters. Yet, in accordance with the laws of physics, we have an equal and opposite reaction. We have added area rugs, a footstool, and cabinet hardware. 

All that mass that has either reduced or increased our space is insignificant to the hole left in our social lives. We went from "knowing everyone" to "not knowing a soul" in a 12 hour drive. 

That reality hit me like a ton of bricks and with a similarly frantic action. My brain went into overdrive. Must. Meet. People. Find. People. etc. 

I found a Facebook group dedicated to meeting new friends in our state. I made what I hoped was a friendly and welcoming post, introducing ourselves with a little background. 

Sure enough, someone from our hometown area commented and we were quickly exchanging private messages. We actually met the following evening, when we both were attending the baseball game to see our hometown team. Unfortunately, the team lost, but in the bigger picture, socializing won. 

We clicked well enough with these newly-found hometown friends and invited them to celebrate with us over the holiday weekend. 

Wow, am I glad we took a chance, and I am so glad they did, too. We met a couple that I think we have enough in common with to do things together over the next several months. We laughed about hometown things and lamented the absence of those things in our new location. We shared stories and common points of reference. 

All in all, it was a really good "first date". 

It's not easy to make friends as adults. It is even more difficult as the world emerges from the social distancing protocol of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a complicated place and the rules can be a little confusing. 

For all that and more, I just want to say, today I am basking. I think we made some friends and it was as simple as taking a chance. Thank you B & R.