{two: move slowly}
The way I see it ... three weeks in ... is you need to take your time, and not rush into anything. As in, don't commit to volunteer, join a club the requires something of you, a church, or the PTO. There will be a time and a place for these things. And quite possibly joining will help create the sense of community we presently lack. But for now we need time to mourn our old community, and suss out where we might best fit into a new community. We have what could possibly be a lifetime ahead of us in this area, and for now everything seems a little different from what we are used to.
Everything seems to take a little longer anyway for us these days. We take ages to get up and out the door. I am paralyzed by choices at the store. Homework that should be done in a jiffy somehow seems to drag out. We are moving ahead at a snail's pace. But: we are moving ahead.
There is much to be said in favor of a slow pace. We focus more inward, on our family. We share our experiences and really take time to listen ... which might be what is slowing us down, but in the end what just might put us ahead.
I don't specifically remember this 'move slowly' nugget from any of my repatriation research ... although Robin Pascoe strongly urges the unassigned spouse not to jump immediately back into work, and she adds... don't get a puppy.
