<p>Not ones from work or your kids friends parents?
I am open to suggestions as I go into retirement.
I have goals, exercise, and travel covered but not the friendship area. Unfortunately my best friends have or are moving the next few months after they retired. We have renewed closer contact with cousins now that they are retired but they are not in town. H and I both have BFF from high school we still have good contact with but they also are out of town.</p>
<p>Water aerobics. And women’s chorus. Took a while though.</p>
<p>Yea, some of the folks taking yoga seem to be bonding and getting together between classes and after class. Didn’t work for me, but has worked for some of them.</p>
<p>college Confidential</p>
<p>GA2012 do you actually meet in person?</p>
<p>Well, I ‘liked’ GA2012MOM’s reply, so I’ll answer… yes, I’ve met quite a few people from here in person. Granted, I’ve been around a long time… almost ten years, so I built up relationships online first, then as travel allowed, both on my part and the part of other CCers, I’ve met quite a few. I’ve almost reached a point where no matter where I travel in the U.S., there’s likely someone from CC I’ve met. But my travel does generally take me to mostly large metropolitan areas.</p>
<p>Water aerobics actually has a much more social aspect than a yoga class- you can’t chat during yoga!
As does getting a dog that needs to be walked.</p>
<p>If you like to read, how about a book club? My group actually started with a group of parents when my oldest was in kindergarten, but my mom has made several friends through book clubs that she has joined at the library and at church. She is even an honorary member of my club when she comes to visit. I think that she now attends about four meetings a month!</p>
<p>You didn’t mention whether or not you belong to a religious organization. Also, doing volunteer work that is regular and with a group is a great way to make new friends. A lot of gyms have running clubs, too. There are usually garden clubs. Around here we have a great art center where a lot of adults take art classes in the evening. </p>
<p>Just some thoughts. </p>
<p>DH and I take a lot of cooking classes. The local Giant has free classes two mornings a week, with a bunch of regular attendees. We’ve also made new friends through tennis classes and square dancing.</p>
<p>Williams Sonoma has free hour-long cooking classes weekly. Some folks have made friends among others who show up at the same cooking class.</p>
<p>We’ve made many excellent friends from the dog park. The friendships have lasted longer than the dogs. </p>
<p>I have found common interest groups to be the most fruitful. That means book clubs and sports for me. </p>
<p>Do be patient about meeting new people. I am not super good at making friends, but have found that the first people I meet in a new place are often not the people I end up with. I do try to put myself out there and create maximum chances for friendships, but I also manage my expectations. </p>
<p>Toastmasters (which my son and I joined to prep for our roles at my daughter’s wedding, and I ended up continuing with). I also made some nice casual friendships through participation in an aerobics class at the “Y.”</p>
<p>I joined a “giving circle” where a group of us all donate a set amount of money, and the money is given to local non profits as grants. There is a lot of organization and work that goes on to identify the best recipients plus many educational activities put on by the Circle. A great way to meet intelligent, civic minded women!! I think a lot of communities have these. </p>
<p>Do you have Meetup in your town/city? It is where people can set up meetup group online based on interest/hobby. In NYC we natural walk, wine, tennis, even work related like technology, finance, big data. I tried few, but haven’t found a group I loved yet. My brother, in CA, has been very successful in meeting up with some people to play tennis. It is very easy. You sign up for an acct on meetup dot com. You choose groups you want to join, and you will get notifications when those groups have meetup. </p>
<p>This won’t appeal to everyone, but how about volunteering at a senior center? I don’t mean a senior living facility, but a recreational center where people in their early 60s (and even younger) on up congregate and enjoy exercise classes, lectures, trips, meals together, etc. I work at a place like this, and our younger volunteers teach classes, lead exercise sessions, serve on or chair committees on programming, membership, marketing, etc. I’ve seen our younger volunteers create a network of friends again and again.</p>
<p>I am moving out of this area just as soon as the ducks get in line, probably to a place where I won’t know anyone my age. I plan to join the local senior center as soon as the moving van leaves.</p>
<p>Here’s one I wouldn’t recommend but is a little bit of a funny memory. It was almost a traffic collision. The individual in the vehicle behind us gets out of car, is a combination of upset and profusely apologetic, sweating heavily. Husband and I are not upset because it was just one of those confusing spots and moments where an accident could so very easily have occurred. Person was visibly hugely relieved and relaxed when the realization set in that we weren’t mad. We all laughed a little, and if life weren’t what it is and schedules busy, people needing to be where we need to be, it might have been fun to go out to coffee together. </p>
<p>Dogs are definitely one of the best ways to meet people, if you can take yours to a dog park. We have several good ones. A small one just opened near where I live and it is quickly becoming a place where people know each other and look forward to meeting up. I think the fact that it is small helps–people just kind of stand around watching the dogs play, rather than walking miles along trails like they do at some of the other ones (which is also lovely, but not quite as social).</p>
<p>Exercise classes that have a goal associated with them (i.e., a 10-week boot camp where everyone is kind of in it together) can also be good.</p>
<p>I’d also add that if you are specifically looking for women friends, do as much as you can on your own (i.e., don’t always be with your husband in these activities). As there are more and more divorced or widowed women out there, some they don’t always view those in couples as the most “available” for friendships.</p>
<p>Another single parent and I decided to get together with our young kids to have dinner. She was going to grill steaks for us. When I got to her house, she came out to the car very calmly said “I think I need to go to the hospital. The grill blew up in my face when I lit it…” I spent many hours at the hospital with 3 kids less than 4, surviving off of vending machine peanuts, etc. We’ve been close friends ever since. She was relatively lucky. She had some serious burns, but no permanent disfiguration. She did need to get a new hairstyle too.</p>