Making Friends in The Villages

Is making friends in The Villages really any different from making friends in other places?

You bet it’s different.

There are people everywhere, most willing to strike up a conversation any time.

Some people prefer to group up with their neighbors. Others have friends and family already here or moving here soon.

You can meet people in all sorts of recreational outings and social clubs.

In some ways you actually need to find ways to “manage” what can be a friend overload situation.

Sometimes people self-limit almost to the point of being rude —- they feel they’ve reached their maximum number of friends and want no more.

Also note that there is a bit of a difference in the part-time versus full time resident friend dynamic. Maybe it is because part-timers are still balancing the base of friends located in multiple locations?

What’s the lesson here?

People that may have had only a small circle of friends and family before moving to The Villages may need to learn/re-learn some friend making skills.

If they do they will have a much more rewarding experience living here.

It’s a shame to see some folks come to The Villages and never leave their house, or maybe only go outside to walk the dog and carry out the garbage.

Yes, some of these people just don’t make the transition and ultimately move on.

Those people that are social, friendly, courteous, respectful, outgoing, and positive will think they’ve arrived in heaven when they move to The Villages.

If they get personal satisfaction from relationships with others they will be able to leverage the community to the maximum extent possible if they are so motivated.

While some may feel that moving to The Villages is all about the weather, the golf, the softball, the bowling, the town squares, or whatever, the reality that many find it is all about the people.

The opportunities to meet people and make new friendships in The Villages are essentially infinite.

There is a dynamic in play that quantity and quality of friendships may be hard to balance due to the lack of time in some cases to nurture deep, close and lasting relationships.

People’s “dance cards” are often filled and it’s hard to find time to get together.

A question to ask yourself is whether you are looking for a large number of acquaintances or a few close friends?

This has just been some food for thought, so you get started on the right foot.

At least you have the rich and ever-changing demographic of The Villages to work with — something you may not have if you choose some other retirement location option.