There are many times throughout life when we have to adjust to a new situation, and moving is one of them! Physical changes, geographic changes, relationship changes, job changes, and, more often, job changes require a little time to adjust to the newness. It took me a while to really love where I live when I moved from Florida to Indy.
I moved to the Indianapolis area in my mid-twenties and ended up where everyone said young single people lived—Broad Ripple. It was fun and close to so much! I quickly realized I needed to make an effort to fall in love with Indianapolis as a whole. Years later, I moved to Fletcher Place in Downtown Indianapolis and had to adjust again. A decade later, we moved to the suburbs, and once again, it has required some time to adjust to the new.
Throughout those moves, I’ve done the same things to help me love where I live. Hopefully, this list will help you love where you live, whether you’ve moved ten times or you live in the same neighborhood you grew up in.
Connect with Neighbors
I’m sure I learned this from my parents, but I try to meet and get to know my neighbors. Even when renting an apartment, I wanted to connect and find community with those who lived nearby.
Get Involved
This helped a lot when I first moved to Indy. I would seek out places to volunteer. Years ago, when they were first starting, People for Urban Progress had volunteer times to clean dome fabric, and I signed up. Neighborhood cleanup, signed up. KIB event, I was there. It was a fun way to see where I lived in a different way and to learn and appreciate the good that was (and still is) happening.
Explore New Place
When I first moved to Indy, I relied on the print edition of Nuvo to find events or places around town. Now, with social media, it’s even easier to find hidden gems. From local content creators to local organizations, there’s so much information available that shows you what’s happening or what new place to check out.
Make the Invite
Invite a new friend to do something. That invite looks different now than it did in my 20s, but it has the same goal—connecting with others.
There are many other ways to feel connected and love where you live, but these have been consistent on my journey to love where I live. Hopefully, you can take one or two and learn to love where you live too.
