Best way to make friends??

[marlakay]

We moved to a small town a year ago and the only friend I have made so far is a single mom who runs a cafe and is busy with her kids and other friends. Is nice to me but basically has no real time for me.

I want to meet other people and try to be friendly but it seems harder at 50 than when I was younger.

I am thinking of volunteering somewhere in town as I know the answer must be to go places people are!!

I have tried to meet my neighbors but they keep to themselves.

I have lots of online friends from blogs I write in but it just isn't the same.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. I'm over 50, too, and here's what I did when I moved back to

Minneapolis after an absence of 19 years.

1) Moved to a neighborhood that has a real sense of community

2) Joined a very liberal church and got involved in the choir and other activities

3) Joined a health club and attended a scheduled class regularly (this worked when I lived in a small town in Oregon, too)

4) Worked on a political campaign

5) Rendezvous'd with other DUers in the area

It isn't easy, but it's not impossible, either.

[bemildred]

2. Church is good. School is good.

Sierra Club is good. Square Dancing is good. Etc. You need an organization with regular activities and meetings that is compatible with your interests. The local paper can be helpful, sometimes. The real problem is getting yourself to go do it.

[Dervill Crow]

3. Meetup.com

It's a great way to meet people who are interested in the same things you are. I have a couple of close friends I met that way.

[supernova]

4. The other thing I can suggest

Volunteering, and so forth is very useful and needed. But, don't forget you also need friends who just enjoy your company, and don't expect anything from you other than that. Not that friends don't help each other out, it's just that being in places where people always expect something from you, such as volunterring, it's hard to find friends who like you just for you, and not for the work that you do. Does that make sense?

To that end, consider doing something like finding or starting a supper club. Cooking Light magazine has a bunch of them, for instance:

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/co

[survivor999]

6. But don't people always want something from you?

Seriously... The question is whether you ENJOY doing whatever people want from you and come to you with little or no effort...

[marlakay]

5. Thanks for the advice!

I haven't been back here for awhile and I went to a liberal church Sunday so that was great and met alot of people who believe like I do which is really good since this area is more red than blue.

I have been low key politically here and doing more work online and phone calls (moveon.org) because I don't want to be known as the person from CA telling me what to do! I think if I was from WA I would feel more comfortable, maybe after a few more years I will locally.

I live in mid WA and used to be involved with Sierra club but they don't have one in the middle of the state, just in Seattle or Spokane area. Funny you mentioned it but they asked me a few years ago if I wanted to help start one up in this area and at the time we were building house and too busy...maybe I will get in touch with them again...this area though from what I hear is more into the loggers because of jobs...

I will try some of the other suggestions though...thanks again!