Right before my friend Cristina moved to my town a few years ago, someone gave her this advice: Say yes to everything you’re ever invited to do.

“Since you’re new in town, you’ll probably get invited to things. But you only get one chance, because if you say no, you probably won’t get invited again. So say yes.”

So Cristina said yes. Over and over. For six months after she landed here, saying yes was her personal mission in life. Would she go to lunch with a bunch of strangers? Sure! Did she want to join the Junior Women’s League? Of course!

As a self-described introvert, the thought of socializing with people she barely knew sometimes filled her with anxiety, yet she forced herself to face the awkwardness repeatedly. It was like exposure therapy. Before too long, the awkwardness dissipated and Cristina started making real friends.

Then things got serious. A few months after moving in, she and her husband were at their new friend Holly’s house when talk turned to Holly’s approaching 40th birthday. The big plan: A bunch of couples were all flying to the Caribbean together for a blow-out, rum-soaked birthday weekend. Holly suddenly turned to Cristina and exclaimed, “You should come!”
Read more at Livability.com.

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7 items of interest

1. Would you move to a town that promised to pay off your student loan debt?
2. Two words for areas looking to bolster tourism: Donut. Trail.
3. One sign you might be moving: You have box envy. (Haha, a month after we moved into our new house I’m still scanning dumpsters.)
4. Vermont wants you to go on vacation there this summer. And they wouldn’t mind if you moved there either.
5. Did Fixer-Upper fix Waco?
6. Chill the heck out, Louisiana (and other takeaways from this list of most-stressed states).
7. Should I admit that I still check online real estate listings?

xoxo, Melody

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