Ask Amy: Young adult should not retire, but relocate
Dear Amy: I’m 32 years old.
For a multitude of reasons, my personal growth was stunted after high school, and it took me twice as long to finish college than planned.
In that time, circumstances (like the pandemic), led to my parents’ premature retirement and prompt move to The Villages, Florida, from northern New Jersey.
Having not gotten my career off the ground, I was forced to leave with them. Shortly after, I was able to find a job I can perform remotely, and I’m getting paid well.
In the two years since, I’ve grown used to spending most of my time isolated, since there’s a sense that there’s not much a person my age can do in the country’s biggest retirement community.
I’d like to move out, but the inability to form any real relationships with peers is starting to wear me down, and with the economy in the state that it’s in, I don’t know if my plans will remain viable.
To be frank, I never went out of my way to make any real relationships back home, either.
My friendships were only made at work, and now I’m starting to feel that regret.
The only work contact I have now is with my boss, and the only other person I know locally is my personal trainer at the gym.
I feel like I’m grasping at straws, and I need advice about how to prevent myself from losing any social instincts I might still have.
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