Dear LPG readers,

I suspect that many people about to cross the retirement line think about all the positive aspects of arriving on the other side.  

I know that I could not wait for the day when I would not have to get up because the clang of my alarm reminded me that I had to go to work, but all of us who have crossed that line know that not doing much leads to boredom and a realisation that we all need to do something.  Even those who promised themselves a sluggish post-work existence at that time often rethink it fast because they learn that being tied to a routine can usually be better than having practically nothing to do all day. 

I remembered coming to the realisation that the answer had to be getting out and meeting people.  But there is only one way to do that and when I thought about it, fronting up and saying hello to a complete set of new people put fear into my heart.  It is all right for those of us who have no problems with walking into an extraordinary environment, often alone, and introducing themselves to a new and strange set of people who are already established as a close-knit group, but what of the less confident among us?

We newly retired people often leave our closest friends at work, and as their unchanged lives continue, they will quickly become too busy to stay in touch. Many of your other friends and family are also caught up with school, their problems, schedules, and well-established social lives, so the only answer is to get out and mingle.  

It will have been years since many of us have had to begin again and, being thrust into a situation where you are the loan stranger who, if you want to build any new friendships for the future, will feel that you have to repeat the necessary but daunting act of introducing the people around you to a confident perspective addition. Still, the alternative is spending your days alone.  

The initial introduction is nearly always the same, ‘Hello, my name is ……’, and the big problem is where to go from there.  

At this point, I remember being told that all you have to do is be yourself. However, if the next part of such conversations does not come naturally, I have found some helpful internet advice.  

YA, Bellingham.

YA offers some online advice …

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