8 ways to love where you live
by Kathryn Egly
We moved into our nice home, in our family friendly neighborhood, in this amazing state, and within 3 days I started feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and questioning everything. I’m usually an extremely happy person, but suddenly I was so very sad. We made it to Pike’s Peak, but was it really just a BUST?
I didn’t know where to grocery shop for the five hungry males in our home, the post office wasn’t delivering our mail, I had just said good-bye to every single one of my friends and family members (I was lonely!), my house was unfamiliar and filled with BOXES and MESSES everywhere. Plus, Ted would need to leave us so he could travel back and forth to Chicago for work.
What have we done? Why are we here?
My son Clark (only five years old at the time) noticed that I was sad and said, “Mama, just look at the mountains!”
He was right! I needed to re-focus on why we had moved here!
We got outside, did some exploring, and my heart and soul filled with gratefulness that we GET to live here!
If you have recently moved or are planning to move, here are 8 things that helped me love where I live:
- Get outside. You may not live at the base of Pike’s Peak, but every town in every state has something outside to enjoy. Whether it’s a sunset or park, get outside and let God’s beauty fill your soul!
- SMILE! To make friends, be friendly! If you know me, you know I talk to EVERYONE. I recommend you do the same. Not about yourself, about THEM! Ask questions like, “How long have you lived here?” “Where are you from?” “Do you have children?” “What are their ages?” Remember, every stranger can one day be a friend. I met my first and closest friend by just walking up and chatting with another mom who was a complete stranger while our kids were playing together on the playground.
- Call an old friend. When I was feeling lonely, I reached out to old friends for encouragement. They really did encourage me!
- Ask your neighbors questions. We were fortunate enough to already know one of our neighbors (the ones who helped us find this home). I asked them LOTS of questions and they were so helpful and patiently answered each one. Things like: “What day does the trash go out?” “What paper should we subscribe to?” “Where’s the best place to buy groceries?” “Where’s the library and post office?” “What restaurants should we try?” They had us over for dinner and made us begin to feel welcome in this state. (Thank you Barrett family.)
- Reach out to any friends/family in your new state. We have cousins who live about an hour away. One offered to stay with me while Ted was gone on one of his Chicago trips. (Thank you Sarah!) I also re-connected with childhood/college friends who live in Colorado! It’s so fun spending time with old friends in a new state!
- Volunteer. I started volunteering at our children’s school and at our local church. This is a great way to meet your kid’s new friends, see what they are learning, and MEET new people!!!
- Join a group. Whether it’s on meetup.com, a book club through your library, or a Bible study through your church … a small group will make it easier to build friendships.
- Read good books. Two books I enjoyed and found really helpful are: This is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick and After the Boxes are Unpacked by Susan Miller