How do you reconnect when you move to a new town?

[spup1122]

Young parents may not be too bad, Kritter. Two of my best friends in my last town were a young married couple. They were five or six years older than me with no kids, but still in the young married couple mode. I told them once that I felt like a third wheel sometimes and that I was taking away from their marriage. They squashed that idea like a bug, telling me that if they didn't want me around, they wouldn't call and invite me over. You might find that young parents are the same way. They spend all the time in the world with their kids. They may want some other young adult stimulation.

 

[spup1122]

Yeah yeah, buckdub. That is NOT how it was. We went to church together. We went to the gym together. We watched American Idol together.

 

[Buck]

Also, I'm not trying to be flippant, but how severe is your condition? How did you work around it to establish friendships in college?

It's hard to describe. If you want to Google it for all the relevant info, look up Asperger's Syndrome. I'm at the very, very high-functioning end of the scale.

If I find someone with similar interests, especially if they're willing to accept me as kinda quirky, it's pretty easy for me to establish a friendship provided we're forced to interact. Classes were great for this, since you had to ask other people about assignments, tests and all that other fun stuff. Once I get talking, I'm okay. It's that finding groups of people with common interests and initiating a conversation that I really struggle with.

The sensory side makes game coverage hard with all the noises, and especially when people sit right on top of you, but I've learned to do some little things to get me through it. Going to a bar and just sitting there, though, the mere thought makes my skin absolutely crawl.

I was curious because I don't know much about the condition.
It seems logical that the situations that helped you socialize in college would be conducive to socializing now.
Taking continuing education classes could help, but you might run into people who are either younger or older than you. Although there's nothing wrong with making friends outside of your normal peer group.
Volunteering for charities or events might help.
Art classes — painting, ceramics, etc.
Yoga, the gym, etc.
Hobbies that are conducive to social settings and god for novices — maybe find a chess club or an archery club. The activities are fun, and relaxing, they can be social and usually provide opportunities to learn and pick them up in adulthood.