Being New

Being new is hard.  New at work, hew at school, new at church, new at an organization or even new at the gym or new in a group.  My husband, stepson and I moved here in February and we are new to NEPA.  Well, let me re-state that.  I am new.  My husband is RE-new.  He grew up in the Lake Silkworth area outside of Dallas in the Back Mountain.  He moved away and joined the Air Force and then, 20 years later, we met.

That's how a girl from Texas got to NEPA and to this blog.  It's hard to find balance in your life when your WHOLE life has just been thrown into chaos.  Especially when you are living with some pretty tough issues!  How do you find a job?  How do you leave the place you grew up and your family?  How do you adjust to a totally new environment where no one knows you?  How do you fit into a new work place that already has everything "just so"?  How do you bring the balance to the chaos, especially when everything is so unfamiliar? 

I really wish I could have had a "Welcome to PA Manual" to read.  There are just some things that either we do different in Texas or is done different in PA. 

The State Store, for instance.  I had to finally ask my in-laws the rules about buying beverages with more kick than Kool-Aid.  Now, that is strange. 

The first few people I spoke to warned me that the people are nice. . .after they warm up to you.  That was a RINGING endorsement, if I ever heard it.  We still haven't made any friends outside of family, so is that really true? 

The beuacracy of the state is also something that my husband is finding a little tiresome.  There is a rule for everything and rule for the rule.  He has had to get different ID from the SS administration and his birth records changed becuase the ID he used to get into the military is no longer good enough to get his driver's liscense renewed in the state of PA.  Wish someone could have warned us about that.  The state website sure didn't!

There are lots of times when you might not think how hard someone else might be adjusting to the "newness" around them.  If someone is new to your group or activity, don't take for granted that they know their way around.  Make an effort to show them the ropes or to at least say "hello" and give them a seat next to you.  It might be that little thing that will get them to come back again and make them happy to be part of something you think is so special.

I'm working on adjusting.  I might start by trying to slip a few "yous" in my vocabulary instead of "ya'lls"

K