Whether you’re a confirmed bachelor (or bachelorette), have gotten divorced somewhere along the way, or become a widow or widower as you’ve grown older, your senior years will often surprise you with the chance for new friendship, new companionship, and even new love.
If you’ve lost your spouse or gone through a tough divorce, thinking about finding love again may be the last thing on your mind as you enter your retirement years, but that doesn’t mean it won’t find you.
Seeking out new friends and new social situations is one of the healthiest things we can do as humans, particularly for our mental and psychological health. New interactions means sharing of new ideas, common experiences, and triggers strong positive emotions in us.
If you have or are going to move into Lakeside At Mallard Landing in Maryland, you’ll find an entire collection of potential new friends awaits, many of whom will be your own age, from the same area of Maryland as you, and more often than not, connect with you on multiple levels based on how they grew up, what line of work they were in, personal interests and hobbies, faith, etc.
The key here is to be open-minded to new people and new experiences, and the latter can be very easy as you make yourself at home in your new community. If you like swimming, make your way out to the pool, and you’ll find plenty of folks, both men and women, soaking up the sun and taking a dip. If you like card and board games, head to the game center and take a seat for a game of canasta, bridge, or hearts. What better way to strike up a conversation than by engaging in a few fun hands of a competitive card game? Laughs come easy when we play games, whether we are 6 or 60.
If you find yourself feeling attracted to someone you meet either at a retirement community or anywhere else, don’t be afraid to ask them to enjoy some time with you! No matter how old we are, having someone admit to liking us and wanting to get to know us better is always a good thing (assuming we are available). Depending on how long it’s been since you were in the “dating game,” a first date with a new interest can be as simple as having a meal together, watching a movie together, or simply sitting outside and talking a while.
When we get older, we’re not quite as hormone-driven as when we experienced first love as teenagers, and that can make the companionship element of dating a lot more enjoyable. Spending time together as senior citizens can be lively and laugh-filled, or quiet and close, the choice is really up to you and the person you are feeling connected to. One of the best aspects of dating while you’re living in a senior community is that there truly are so many different activities to share with another person – from meals and movies to swimming and exercise to crafts and trips out of town.
And the more you open up to someone else, the more you’ll perhaps realize that there is a chance to love more than one person in your lifetime. And while some people struggle with the thought of ‘dishonoring’ their marriage vows by dating someone else after a spouse has passed on, but the most common and true piece of advice in that situation is that the person who has passed on would want us to be happy for the rest of our life and enjoy ourselves if at all possible, not continually live in the past and mourn their passing.
Romance does not have to spawn out of spending time with someone. Often we make our best friends as we grow older, because we find ourselves in similar situations and have lived similar stories, thus bonding us because of the emotional connection. Explore this connection for all it’s worth when you meet someone new, and be open to any possibility from occasional friends to someone you could see being a long-term companion or even a romantic interest. And when you do find someone special, don’t just limit yourself to your own community! If you are able, take trips together, via car, train, or taxi, and explore the amazing amenities that Maryland has to offer.
Learn about the senior living programs, amenities, and floorplans today. Contact us now at 410.618.3916 for our room availability today.
