 |
| Plattie and Cuddles made by me for the craft shop |
Now on to the subject at hand. Fitting in.
We humans are a complicated lot. Pretty much all of us go
looking for similar people, so we can feel part of the group. I think it is a
survival thing, from way back in the mists of time, when if you were different,
you could be cast out of the safety of the group. Survival outside the group
was tough.
But we also want to be seen as different. I know that I want
to be recognised as uniquely me. Whilst this seems like a contradiction, I
think it is more like a delicate balancing act.
When we moved to Bathurst, I was conscious of the fact that
I wanted to fit in, but I also wanted to not fit in so well that I became
invisible. And I wanted to fit in with a diverse group of people. I didn’t want
to only connect with retired people over 50. I also wanted to connect with
younger people, people who are different to me. |
| how good are the apricots looking! |
One of the good things about working was that I was engaging
with (those are words from my work life) lots of different people. It was
challenging at times, but it was also enriching. It is more difficult to find
this sort of thing when retired, and even more so by being in a new town.
I’ve found a lovely group of people through playing tennis.
They are all women, they are all over 60, and they are all not working, but
they come from a wide range of backgrounds and have varied opinions on things. Conversation
around the morning tea table is active and entertaining. In fact, conversation
on the tennis court can be so active and entertaining that we forget what the
score is. Lucky none of us are playing for sheep stations!
 |
| cross-stitch Christmas decorations also made by me for the craft shop |
Speaking of sheep stations, since starting with the tennis
girls, I’ve learnt more about sheep farming than I did in all the years I spent
in Parkes. And last week at tennis as I stepped over the lamb tails on the
ground as I walked to the tennis court, I realised it was the first time I’d
ever seen that.
So back on the subject of fitting in, I’m fairly happy with
my progress so far. As well as the
tennis girls, I’ve also found a group of people with an interest in craft, so
that area of my  |
| from the social pages my niece and me at THE local coffee shop |
And I’ve made it to the social pages of the local paper! The
tennis girls are so jealous – I’ve been here 5 minutes and am in the social
pages, whilst some of them have been here for decades (or from birth, in one
case) and still haven’t made it.
Now I just have to find a way to expand the circle so it
includes some more different people. That might not be so easy. My hairdresser
told me the other day that one of her other clients, also new to town, has
found Bathurst to be a difficult town to make good social friends in. I’ll have
to put in a real effort, then. I’m not sure how, both from the point of view of
finding the people and finding the time. But watch this space!
