I felt lonely in Burlington despite attending pottery classes, art exhibitions, and Bumble BFF meet-ups intended to build friendships. Those activities increased frustration rather than connection. After texting Jaid, a childhood best friend also struggling with adult connections in Saratoga Springs, I reconsidered location as a factor in social life. Memories of spontaneous childhood companionship motivated an apartment search and a move to Saratoga in February 2023. As a single freelance woman, personal choice enabled the change. The move immediately improved mood and confidence and made meeting new people easier.
Three years ago, I flopped down on my couch, exhausted from a weekend of pottery classes, art exhibitions, and Bumble BFF meet-ups - all activities I undertook to "put myself out there" and create new friendships while living in Burlington, Vermont. The only thing I created, however, was a growing sense of frustration. After a stint in Brooklyn, I'd chosen to relocate to Burlington.
I allowed myself a moment of self-pity and then texted Jaid, my childhood best friend, about my struggles making new connections as an adult. As it turned out, she was experiencing her own version of the same phenomenon in her new town of Saratoga Springs, New York. We mused about how much better it would be if we lived in the same place,
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