AIM Conversation Groups Create and Foster Close Friendships
Even in the best of times, it’s hard for older people to make new friends. When I retired to Montclair in December 2020 the Covid pandemic was still raging and keeping people inside. The first vaccines were just starting to be rolled out. I knew no one in Montclair and the times were not conducive to changing that.
I scoured the Montclair website for a group to join. There I managed to find out about something called Aging in Montclair (AIM). This looked promising, but I quickly learned that because of the pandemic, the organization had suspended its in-person meetings. It looked like another dead end.
But then in 2022, I saw a tiny item about an AIM group that was going to meet online just to have conversations. I jumped at the opportunity to finally meet some fellow seniors, even if only on Zoom. The initial “meeting” was promising, but only about five or six people showed up. Over time, more people joined us and quickly became members of the “family.”
The participants hit it off right away. We were all there for the same reason—we craved conversation with others our age facing the same issues. Our leader, Lynda, expertly guided the conversation, suggesting relevant topics and keeping the conversation interesting. Slowly each of us felt comfortable sharing personal details of our lives. We hit it off so well that we soon wanted to take the group from faces in Zoom boxes to in-person meetings. Because Covid precautions were still advised, we had our first meetings that summer outside in the Avis Campbell Garden.
By the time the weather turned cooler, we were all comfortable meeting in the library next door. And as the months passed, we all became friends. We would meet at events around town. We even started to arrange trips together. In between our regular group meetings, several of us visited museums in New York, Newark and New Brunswick together.
At Christmas/Hanukkah, we were invited to meet at the apartment of one of themembers. And as the months went by, we came to know that our Conversation sessions were a safe space where we could share anything and be assured of confidentiality. Any issues we were having in our life could be brought to the group for their empathy and helpful suggestions.
Over the last three and a half years, the bimonthly meetings have been the highlight of each month. I found the group conversations so valuable that when I decided to move from Montclair to live a few miles away with my daughter and her family, I have still made the commute back twice a month. These conversations have become visits with close friends now.
I thank AIM for giving me the opportunity to get to know a great group of people and hope to take advantage of this valuable service for many years to come.
