<strong>By Lee Scott</strong>

<strong></strong>Adjusting to a new setting means letting go of things that you are used to having around you. With so many military personnel in our area and retirees, they can appreciate the “art of letting go.”

I am talking about when you move. The transition between your old home and your new home. There are the normal places we become so accustomed–our grocery stores, our dry cleaners, the hair salon or barber shops. Sometimes we luck out and the name brand is the same, like a Publix or a Bi-Lo. But some of the difficulty of letting go is harder still when you still get the emails from Amazon for the local deals-restaurants and movie theatres that you know. Or you get the emails from your old hardware store or wine store. There is a point when it is time to unsubscribe, time to let the old newspaper digital subscription lapse. Time to unsubscribe from all those old organizations you belonged to like the local hospice or the book clubs.

Now is the time to change your calendar at home and start filling it with local events. What festivals are coming up? Is there a local hospice group? How about meeting other people that are in the same boat you are in?

The local newspaper will tell you what is going on about upcoming events or volunteer opportunities. There are leadership programs that will introduce you to the whole county. Before long, the emails will be from new friends and organizations.