Dear Community,
Life is getting back to normal and making connections is now safer again so I wanted to write about something more personal, making lasting friendships in town. As a transplant in town, Mel and I moved to Winters in 2010 and did not know anyone. We had very little knowledge on who was who and what was what, and in some ways I think it was to our advantage. In 2013, we took over Steady Eddy's and what I think is the beginning of me understanding how it was more challenging to make friends in a small town. Making friends was never hard for me until I moved here. I realized that many people that were from here had already formed relationships of their own years before, and it was going to be hard to penetrate those tight circles. Truthfully, I did not have much time to nurture any friendships because of working so much and at times, I felt left out. Even though I don't feel that way as much anymore, I am saying this so you don't feel alone too if you are new. It is really easy I felt to make friends when you stay at home or have more free time than what I had, but I learned something along the way, that completely surprised me and proved me wrong. Every mother or person for that matter, wants similar things, regardless of how much they work or stay at home. Each person I have truly connected with has insecurities, as well as strengths, as well as limited time.
So.... how do you make friends in this town?
Let your guard down. Be kind. Be open minded. Try new things. Host or ask someone to go out in town. See who you click with!
Visit discoverwinters.com for up to date info on things to do. We have a coffee shop (Steady Eddy's), wineries, restaurants, a distillery, breweries and more!
You can volunteer for non profits. Each non profit has their own mission and it is worth checking out to see what sparks your passion. It is powerful giving back to your community and through that process, new relationships are born and connections naturally happen.
Quick Announcement: the local Winters Combined PTA board is looking for a replacement for the treasure position. Contact me if you know someone that would be a good fit.
Get a local job. We are proud of that fact that we hire locals at our shop and it has been refreshing to see the friendships that have formed between our crew. We recently found out that several people are leaving at the end of summer and instead of feeling frustrated about being back to square one, I can't help but think about how grateful I am to have employees sad to leave us and each gave us a month notice. This means they care about their job and coworkers.
One employee said, thank you for taking a chance on me as working here has made an impact on me." Another employee stated, that she was scared to work anyone else, referring to how good we have it here on the Steady Eddy's team.
Play sports/sign up for sports. Sports are the best and easiest ways to make friends with other families. Each season we have signed up for proved to make more substantial connections due to the fact that you spend so much time with the team and the families.
Go to the local parks. We have a beloved Wooden Park in town and it attracts families from all backgrounds. I find it peaceful to take my kids there and it is a great way to get them out of the house and meet new kids and parents.
Lastly, I love to recommend people to our shop to meet new people and to have real conversations that matter.
I don't pretend to know all the answers but I do know that there are so many different people in this town, that if you allow yourself, you can make some really wonderful connections in Winters. My advice, put yourself out there and know that we are more alike than we are different. Cheers!
Love,
Carla Wroten, Owner
