Boomer thoughts #3

Posted by Terry McNichols

My husband and I left our established home and community 7 years ago and set off on an adventure. Ken was burned out with his nose-to-the-grindstone life and I was happy to pull up roots and join him. We spent the next 4 years doing short stints in different place. Ken worked as a Doc 4 Hire and I reinvented myself in every new location. It was so much fun and a true adventure. It was also a great time for the two of us to reconnect, after the struggles of raising teens, getting them off to college and then married, running a couple of businesses and meeting all the obligations we had incurred.

But the one thing we both found in our nomadic lifestyle was that we had also left behind relationships. We made new short-term friends, and even a few new long-term friends, but there is nothing like staying put in one community for all of one's life to foster friendships. When we decided to settle down, we opted for a home in the big city. We are near a couple of our kids and thus get to enjoy the benefits of grandparenting. And our adult children and their spouses have become our best friends.

I will attest, however, to the fact that making friends at this point in life is more difficult. It takes a major effort to find ways to connect with busy people who already have established friendships. I will post some suggestions on a future post, but for now, I agree that there are challenges to the boomers among us.

(Photos by Pink Sherbet Photography and rabataller, Flickr)