Dear Auntie Mac,

Having recently retired here, I’m so relieved to find myself in a small community that feels so much safer during the coronavirus crisis than the large city I came from. I’m also so grateful for all the nature preserves which have kept me occupied this spring. Most of my acquaintances here are elderly like myself, and so we’re all social distancing, and I must admit, I’m starved for contact. When this isolation lifts, what are the surest ways for me to plunge into Hampton society?

Ready to Rock

My Dear Neighbor:

Congratulations on your retirement, and on choosing our bucolic little nook as the place to begin what you seem to wish will be a whirlwind of social activity and nonstop entertainment. While Auntie Mac applauds your desire to immediately slide your social shuttle into the warp and woof of Hampton “society,” she would gently advise you to do so with grace, tact, and a measure of respect for those already established here. While Hamptonites are a welcoming group, we are after all consummate New Englanders and expect certain courtesies from newcomers that include deference, admiration (we do so adore admiration), and a need for things to be introduced to us gradually, as flour into a smooth béchamel.  Many a well-meaning neophyte, trying to explain in his or her first meeting how “things are done,” has felt the humbling sting of reproach from a town elder. Better an exploratory toe than a “plunge,” then, into the social pool, dear. You may start with a trip to your neighbors to introduce yourself; you can even do that now, from a safe distance. Lars finds that needing to shout pleasantries from across a hayfield leaves a more lasting and positive impression on the interaction. I quite agree. Next, I’d urge you to visit the Town’s website and community calendar, and get on as many notification lists as possible—from the very active Senior group to the Recreation Committee. Write or call and introduce yourself, explain your interests, and ask to please be included in any future activity or event notifications.  If you have come from a rather exotic location, say, Mauritania, The Cote D’Asur, or Dubuque, consider writing an article for the Gazette, which is always looking for interesting stories and anecdotes. You might even try writing something about what you have observed on all your walks and rambles since you’ve moved here. And when we are all released from this beastly cage of isolation, uncertainty and precaution, by all means attend every commission and committee meeting to both introduce yourself and offer your volunteer services in those areas you find most fascinating. For Hampton, dear, is nothing short of fascinating, and it is up to each one of us, virus or no virus, to discover that for ourselves.

Auntie Mac