Transitions Are Tough

It has been a LONG time since I last started all over from scratch. In my teens and early 20s, I completely uprooted myself and resettled several times, in a few different states. But I have called Maryland home for the vast majority of the past 35 years. The majority of my life.

Transitions can be tough. There is a natural inclination to cling to the things--people, places, jobs, clubs--that are familiar. Moving 16 hours away from everyone and everything means starting over with all new people and places. Familiarity is comfortable. Starting over is the opposite.

So, the first couple of weeks in our new home have been interesting.

Our house in Florida is the total opposite of the home we sold in Maryland. (See photo above for a glimpse of our "farm" in Marriottsville.) While our old home had tons of privacy, on a ten acre lot surrounded by forest preservation land, this new home sits on a quarter acre in a neighborhood. Instead of letting our Akita run free in a massive field where she could do her business anywhere, here she has to poop on someone's front lawn! And then I have to pick it up! This is extremely strange for everyone involved.

In order to get my exercise, I had been teaching fitness classes 4 days per week: yoga, fit jam, Pilates, and bootcamp. This combination hit all my body's requirements for strengthening, stretching, and aerobics. I'm struggling to find a way to replicate this variety here in Florida. Do I want to pay for 3-4 different kinds of classes each week? Being pretty darn frugal, the answer is no. But I'm not sure I want to go back to teaching, either. And working out by myself isn't quite the same. I'm trying to figure this out.

And of course, now I am sick. I knew it would happen. There was no way I'd avoid illness after dealing with so much stress and change. So I made some bone broth and I'll use it to make some soup. Even though it's freaking hot outside.

Speaking of hot, it's November and still hot as midsummer here in Florida. Yes, I have a lot to get used to.
 
Have you started all over again somewhere new? Recently or in the past? How long did it take to find your feet? How did you meet new people and make new friends? I'd love to hear your experiences.