Housing Assignments

In this Issue:

• Housing Assignments released!
• Your advice: I asked, you delivered. THANK YOU!

Housing Assignments released!

Housing assignments for new students were released this afternoon by the Office of Residence Life and Housing. Students received a message specific to their new residential community:

• Angelou
• Babcock
• Bostwick
• Collins
• Johnson
• Luter
• South 

These emails are essentially the same content, other than the building-specific info.

I know that getting a housing assignment can be an anxious time (remember, I am going through this too at another school!), so I am resharing some tips:

 Take a few deep breaths and remember a couple of important things:

• Students were assigned based on presumptive compatibility from the Housing and Dining Application. Help your Deac trust the matching process. A lot of what makes for a happy roommate pairing is similar ideas on how they want to use the room – not whether they share the same taste in music, agree on politics, share the same race/religion/sexual orientation/national origin, whether they think they want to be Greek, etc. As a reminder, room and roommate assignments are made without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin, and we do not assign siblings as roommates.
  
• Part of the process of college is to expand the mind and gain new experiences – in that respect, a roommate who is very different can be a wonderful way for your student to expand their horizons.
  
• Nearly everyone has something on social media that is not representative of who they truly are. (Your Deac’s roommate might equally be looking at what is out on the internet about your student and having similar unfounded worries!)  Don’t put too much stake in social media posts or pictures – and instead encourage your student to spend some time trying to get to know their new roommate. The keys here are for students to foster good communication, make an effort to connect, and keep an open mind.
  
• It is a myth that roommates have to be best friends; peaceable coexistence is the goal (friendship on top of that is a bonus).
  
• Parents and families, my best and most well-intentioned advice is that in matters of roommates, your best role is to be neutral like Switzerland and don’t weigh in. Allow your student and their roommate to work things out, bringing in the RA (Resident Adviser) as needed to help mediate issues once the school year begins.
  
• Another area of concern is that students hoped for a different assignment (e.g., they wanted a single but got a double, which is typically just a matter of demand exceeding supply, or wishing for a different building, etc.). Each building has its pros and cons – some rooms bigger, some renovated more recently, etc. – but they are all very liveable (in fact, I have lived in 3 of the 7 first-year halls and liked each in its own way).
  
• Given that we have 1,400+ students, Residence Life and Housing staff does not have the capacity to take individual room measurements for your student’s room configuration, bed/desk size, etc. Thank you for your understanding in not making those requests. However, students will receive a Roomie link with their housing assignment, which will allow them to see their room in 3D! Students are encouraged to use the platform to visualize, plan and design their room before their arrival (this is a great time for students to start connecting/collaborating with their roommates on how they’ll share their new space!) You can also visit Residence Life and Housing’s website to learn more about each building.
  
• Finally, I’d urge patience and understanding that students’ room assignments will not be changed (either to a new hall or a new roommate), so your students (or you!) should not ask Residence Life and Housing for changes. Instead, students should focus on getting to know their roommate and embracing their new community.

Your advice: I asked, you delivered. THANK YOU!

Yesterday, I invited our been-there-done-that families to share their best advice for those of us sending our first/only/last child to college (because if I am being honest with you, I was feeling very blue about the impending departure of my ’27 Wolfpack).

And y’all delivered! THANK YOU! I read the advice below and shed more than a few tears as I read.

I am so grateful for the wisdom of our experienced families. Hopefully the other newbies/soon-to-be empty nesters will find the same wisdom, comfort, and solace that I found. (Have tissues at the ready, families!)

Here are your unedited comments and advice in their entirety. Again, I can’t thank you enough for sharing your advice. You are why I love Wake Forest families 🙂

What advice would you give to someone about to send their first child off to college?

• Don’t call every day
• Accept the fact that you will cry.  It really helps that Wake becomes a “home away from home” so quickly.
• Let your son or daughter figure it out! Do not plan the layout of their room,
• unpack them, or register for their classes. They can do it all if you let them. Be available to listen but NOT  to do it
• Trust them, they will be fine.  (We are the ones with issues, not them). I cried for 3 days with my 1st…. he has taught me so much!
• It just gets better from here. Having a relationship with my grown up (ish) kids has been so rewarding. And don’t worry in a blink of an eye it will be parents weekend then Thanksgiving them Winter break and then they are home again in May.
• Enjoy every minute of it!  Miss them, don’t miss them, have some me time!!  Remember how awesome it was when you went away to college and “ got away” from your parents for the first time.  Go to football games, become a Pack fan. It goes by fast.
• Let your child take the lead. Let them do things their way and trust they’ll figure it out.
• Pat yourself on the back, job well done, good parenting for the win!
• We raised our kids to have wings so they could fly. Pat yourself on the back and release them into the world to soar!
• Don’t text them every day. We set up a weekly call so that we could catch up. But otherwise we left him alone. Of course he could text or call us anytime. Don’t get me wrong. This was super hard for me as his mom. Over time it got easier and easier.
• Even though they might not call or text every day, they are thinking about you.
• As parents of an only child, what helped boost when our daughter went away, was frequent communication with her. Whether it be a text or a phone call or sending her messages, reminding them of how much we love them, it all seem to make it feel a lot better. and definitely The Daily Deac helped us feel like part of the family I Wake Forest along with her daughter
• You are still the person who knows your child best.  No matter how much advice you get – listen and translate what your child is sharing as only a parent can.
• It’s exciting yet scary for all involved. Let them be. You did a great job of teaching them to be responsible outside the home, let them flourish. They have dealt with stuff in high school that you probably didn’t know anyway and they survived. Having sent my daughter across the states (we are in California) was the scary part. Get to know friends and get a contact number for them in case something happens. 
• You have prepared them for this next adventure!
• Plan a little getaway or something fun to do after drop off! My husband and I went to The Greenbrier on our way home. It was a wonderful distraction from the empty nest that awaited us at home!
• Expect to grieve! You have invested eighteen-plus  years of your best efforts, hopes, and sacrifice, and of your anxieties and worries, to arrive at this moment, and it somehow doesn’t seem like enough. You will feel like a hole has been scooped out of your gut.  Allow yourself to be sad and bereft.  Then readjust to celebrate your child- and you- reaching this threshold!
• Try not to be emotional when you drop them off. It’s going to be hard enough for your child to keep it together. Also, try to make a scheduled time to speak during the week if at all possible. Be flexible, they might not call.. they are trying to adjust to an entire new way of life.
• You can do hard things.  The drop off will be tough – it should be, but you and your child now move on to a new exciting, phase of your relationship.  Onward and upward.
• Put two or three bottom sheets and pillow cases on at move-in so they only have to pull them off! And at goodbye-don’t linger.
• It’s a lot like the first day of kindergarten — a marker of their journey away from you — and no matter how excited you are for them, it’s going to hurt a little (or a lot).
• It gets better! The first days/weeks are the hardest. As soon as your student sounds happy and is having a great experience, it gets so much easier.
• Breathe and let go. Listen and empathize. Support from a distance. Don’t redecorate their room at home.
• Get in practice now if giving them space and not asking questions unless they initiate so you will be ready for transition in the fall. Your heart will ache the first few weeks after they leave, but you most let them set cadence for how often you talk / FaceTime / text. Let them go first.
• When they call with ANY problem (roommate, grade, life, missing form, listen & say, “wow! And how are you going to handle that”? Then, let THEM handle it.
• Face Time!  Face Time!  Face Time! Though get ready with muting the camera the first few times as you may lose it seeing your Deac for the first time away from home.  BUT(!), it gets easier as the months and years go on.  After each year, as you realize your Deac is learning life skills and doing OK on their own, it hurts a little less. And when they become a senior you realize you can/will worry less – but not worry free!
• Allow yourself time to adjust. It gets better.
• Don’t overpack, especially furniture and decorations.    Don’t buy books until you go to 1st day of class.
• Embrace it! Rediscover fun things to do, new restaurants and easy getaways. We call it empty nesters out and about! Makes the time go by faster until they are home for breaks!
• It’s time to let them fly. They may do things differently than you would have but this is an important time for them to grow. Still, be there when they need you.
• Listen, listen, listen and smile while you give a kind response; they’ll hear the love you have for them in your voice and that’s what they need from you.
• Be ready for the “call and cry”.  Your DD will feel better once they unload all of their emotions, but you will not. If you are a late night thinker like me, it is likely you will experience a sleepless night (or two:)
• Try to put yourself in their shoes – they are likely nervous, excited and very uncertain about what to expect. So the more confidence you can inspire in them, the better their chances for success! Remind them that they are capable, smart, funny, kind (or whatever your child’s awesome attributes are), which means that they are ready for this! Try to let them do as much of the preparation themselves (checklists, picking out items, packing, etc.) so that they know they are capable. And while it’s important to let your child know they will be missed and that they are loved, try to stay focused on your child’s feelings more than your own. Do LOTS of listening – you’ve been giving them advice all of their life. This is now their time to fly and shine! Like Rory says to Lorelai in Gilmore Girls as her mom is dropping her off at college – “you’ve given me everything I need”.
• 1.  Set up a weekly time to chat/connect so you both know its on the calendar; 2.  Send care packages/letters to fill their mailboxes as everyone likes a surprise when they open a mailbox; 3.  Get to know their friends, invite them to meals when you’re in town – everyone loves a good off campus meal
• Set aside a time on Sunday for a weekly phone call. Remember that this is their experience, not yours. There is no need to immerse yourself in a parent’s social scene at your child’s college. Attend Parents Weekends and other relevant celebrations but keep yourself in check with the party/drinking scene.  I’ve seen some ridiculous behavior from adults on my visits to WFU.
• Keep your child in the light you want them to be in. They are only a phone call/video chat away.
• Try not to rush and solve their problems.  They need to practice and learn to handle discomfort and stress.  Look at it like building endurance and muscles for life.
• Be prepared to cry! 
• Well that is truly the million dollar question!!!!!  I am sending my first and only child off.  I keep telling myself….she is truly about to embark on one of the very best adventures of her life!!!
• Be proud of their willingness and strength to be independent; I dropped my daughter off and she didn’t know anyone at Wake;  her twin went to the Colorado School of Mines;  from Tulsa and both never missed a beat; encourage them to embrace and enjoy the challenge
• Hold back and let them call or text you.  Give them some space to explore on their own
• Let them do it- make the phone call, talk to the professor, figure out the rooommate situation- no matter how hard it is! Just be there to listen. And give them the confidence to succeed on their own!
• Try not to be too visibly emotional in front of the younger siblings.  We learned from experience. Include the younger ones in family weekend, football or basketball weekends. Move in would have been hard with all of our youngest children there. We left them with grandparents and it was the best decision.
• Research how to get your child in a sorority
• Let them enjoy their time and enjoy yours
• Stay positive no matter what the circumstances. A ‘bad’ roommate can end up being a best friend, the ‘wrong’ class can end up introducing them to a friend, professor or passion they never would have never known. I often read comments from parents that have problems and that just resonates directly to their child who is about to embark on an amazing adventure. Chin up! Your kids follow your lead – smile.
• Give them the biggest hug, then walk away VERY quickly! When they call, you ask do you want advice or just want me to listen?
• Have a firm date planned and a flight booked to see your Deac before you leave him at Wake.
• Let them take the lead in everything that is about to unfold.  Be their coach, cheer them on from the sidelines.  Trust that you’ve done your job and let them go, even if it means sometimes you’ll have to let them learn from mistakes and bumps in the road ahead.  Better to do that now than when they are starting their careers, grad school, etc
• Smile a lot even if you feel overwhelmed. Tell them you love them very often.
• It’s supposed to happen and it’s a good thing. Also, they will be home more than you think over the next 4 years.
• Set an expectation that works for both of you as to how much and when you check in with one another.  Don’t call them randomly unless it’s really important — let them dictate what timeframe works for them, as they have likely never been in a living arrangement where there is always someone present and within earshot.  Let them have some space and come to you when they need your ear (key word “ear” and not necessarily your advice per say.). This will help with the homesick portion of the freshman year that is inevitable for all students.
• Believe in their resilience and yours, and let them enjoy this time of their lives.
• The dropoff will be VERY painful but trust me you adjust and become a little less sad every day.
• Trust your child. Set up a weekly family zoom call – early in the week (Mon or Tues) so you don’t conflict with their social schedule but you’ll hear what happened over the weekend and what the week holds.
• It is okay to still help them. You don’t need to cut the cord immediately. Stay involved and ask questions.
• For families who will still have children at home, one thing I didn’t anticipate was how the family dynamics after our eldest left for school. Our family rearranged itself in unexpected but wonderful ways giving us a chance to bond differently. Knowing this before sending my firstborn off wound have eased my mind and given me something to look forward to.
• Be excited for them!  This is what you have prepared them to do.  You have done a great job in raising your child and this is the next chapter in their journey.  Be supportive!  Whether they did well on an exam (or not) or if they are having trouble finding their place.  Be sure to read The Daily Deac emails!  They are full of information and spot on with the advice.  Enjoy this experience for your child. : )
• To the best of your ability, encourage your student to own and run the preparing for college process.  Is he/she researching what the dorm room consists of?  What is included?  Conversations with roommate on what each one will being?  When and what books/supplies to buy for school?  The more your student takes control in this process, the more confidence he/she will have in managing things at college when they come up.
• Keep reminding yourself and your child that they’ve “got this.” They are completely capable or running their lives at college and they will experience a period of disillusionment before they feel settled and grounded in their new home.
• Wake Forest sets the students up for success!  It’s an excellent university with incredible resources and support to help your child succeed.  There will be bumps and transitions can be difficult, but it’s pure joy to see your Demon Deacon flourishing in the forest.
• Literally and quite simply cherish every moment! Make sure the child knows how proud you are of them, how much they will be missed yet how joyful and excited you are about this new and exciting journey for him/her!
• Ignore advice if it doesn’t make sense for your child or your family. Everyone’s situation is different.
•   Let your student handle as many tasks as they can. They need to learn to take on more responsibility. While the temptation to do everything for them will be there, the parent needs to back off as much as possible (while being available for support and guidance).
• Send mail, send packages, ask questions abokt their life. Write down their schedule and things they tell you that you may forget. Because they do want to know you care and maintaining the regular contact is a big part of that.
• You’ll see them every month, sept family weekend, oct fall break, nov Thanksgiving and then they’ll be back for Christmas
• Stand back and allow your kid to make their own decisions. Be a guidance counselor, not a problem solver. Don’t text your kid and tell them how much you miss them over and over and over. It’s great to say it sometimes but not overkill. It’s not about you – this is their journey so ask questions and listen and validate and tell them how proud of them you are. Then go cry to a friend or your spouse about how hard it is at home without them! Understand that the less you hear from them, the more they are becoming independent. It’s soooooo hard to let go but this is why you raised them!!!
• Let them know that you are ALWAYS there to pick up the phone and talk—ANY time, day or night! 
• It works out that you see your child at least once every 2 weeks so keep telling yourself that and it will get you through. 
• My best piece of practical advise is to book your child’s return trip to school on the Sat or Sun after thanksgiving now.  It will save you a lot of hassle and money over doing it later. 

What advice would you give to someone who is about to be an empty nester?

• It gets easier
• Volunteer in your hometown ! Limit speaking to your kids to once a week. It’s healthy for you to miss each other.
• It IS hard…. be grateful did your job and are giving the world a competent young person who is about to rock the world
• Please guide me…the youngest of my children is headed to Wake Forest in 3 weeks and then our nest will be empty.
• They come back.  It’s always fun when they do and just when they start to annoy you- off they go!! 
• This is about to be me as we move kiddo #2 in a few weeks. I hope my spouse and I can make a concerted effort to do new things together. Maybe a spontaneous road trip, or try new restaurants, etc.
• It will be weird at first, even a tad lonely, especially at dinner but your new found freedom is a testament to good parenting, enjoy!
• Enjoy all the moments from packing to drop off. Allow yourself to cry. Once you’re back home, start dating your significant other again and learn why you fell in love in the first place. If you’re single (and even if you’re not) start exploring and doing new things solely for yourself. A whole new world awaits not only for your child but for you as well.
• This will be us this year. So I can’t wait to hear some good advice! Our Demon Deacon is the last to leave the nest.
• I Will experience that this August, I’m looking for advice!
• Focus on some things that you wanted to do all along. For me, it was straightening out some areas in our house that were too busy with daily traffic from our teen. And definitely find the well deserved. Meantime, awaiting.
• Learn something new together!
• You will be busier than ever! I had plans to do a lot of eliminating items but I am so busy I have not, even after 4 years of her being away, but going back for her MSA. Maybe it will get done this time!
• College years go quickly. Tell/show them u love them everyday!
• Embrace the new stage. It’s a lot of mixed emotions, so it’s ok to feel sad while, at the same time, feel excited for your child for their new adventures. They are supposed to spread their wings and leave the nest…you really don’t want your child to live with you forever!! 🙂
• Reclaim yourself-  your interests and talents and pursuits- or re-define yourself if you’ve been “too”invested in your parent identity.  If you have a spouse/ partner, re-engage and re-invest in that relationship.   Think of all the hours and energy you have spent parenting, and how they can be productively or thoughtfully redeployed.  Journalling helps to give shape to, and to process, the feelings of loss and a chapter now passed.  It is an opportunity to shape your next act.
• Go out and get involved in your community, volunteer, work out, plan a weekend get away or a trip. Take care of you.. make yourself a priority.
• You are going to love it!
• Have fun planning Parents Weekend and for the holidays! Gives everyone visits to anticipate!
• It is perfectly okay for dinner to be cheese & crackers and wine. Perfectly okay.
• Initially the peace and quiet is deafening and depressing and slowly it shifts to being really relaxing and very welcome.
• Make a list of all the things to which you’ve said “no” for 18 or more years, and start to do them. It’s much easier to let your student live THEIR life if you are living YOURS.
• ?? I’ll be joining you on that journey! I plan to figure it out with you.
• If you don’t have a hobby/hobbies, GET ONE!  The important thing to do is to stay busy, whether it be a hobby/hobbies or connecting for old friends or even traveling.  The last thing you want to do or be in a situation where you just dote on your Deac 24×7.  You’ll drive yourself crazy. Then, when you connect with your Deac on a weekly basis, you can tell about YOUR experiences and what YOU have been doing while they were away.  Remember, as much as you want to know what they have been doing, they also want to know what YOU have been doing.  Otherwise it will be a short phone call or Face Time!
• The flexibility to say yes and do what you want is the same freedom your freshman is experiencing- you get to enjoy it too!
• After 12 years of sports, school activities and other events – enjoy the break.
• Embrace it! Rediscover your area, restaurants and friends! “ Empty nesters out and about “ is what we call it!!
• It’s time for you to (re)discover your likes, interests, family, friends.
• It takes a year or two to adjust.  The only way out is through. Each phase is a phase; the family goes through it together.  We must change to grow.
• I am looking for advice too…. Last kiddo to leave the nest… mixed emotions. Definitely a new chapter of my life.
• Your life is about to change a lot, but in a good way. You have spent so much time dedicating yourself to your kids, and now it’s your turn to figure out what you want to do for you. Go on dates with your significant other. Get together with friends. Go for walks around your neighborhood and talk to your neighbors. Invite friends/family over for a casual meal. Find a local organization that is meaningful to you and do some volunteer work there. Take a class at your local community college. Read. Exercise. Garden. Cook. And maybe most importantly, take care of yourself by catching up on any doctor appointments you’ve been putting off. Make your health a top priority so that you can enjoy this next phase of your life!
• 1.  Don’t fret over your child, they’ll stumble but that’s part of the learning process; 2.  Enjoy the time to do what you want to do as there is a boomerang and re-entry at breaks/summer is another adjustment time period; 3.  Find a new hobby as the next chapter in life is starting; 4.  Visit often – they may cringe on the outside, but they miss you and home; 5.  Remove Life 360 from your phone
• It’s a grieving process but embrace it. Remember that you have given this child of yours some pretty beautiful and capable wings to get them off and flying. Try a new hobby that you always have wanted to do. TRAVEL!
• It will get easier, and you will learn not too cook  too much food. However you will enjoy the reduced laundry loads!
• None.  I’m about to become one. 
• Embrace the new lifestyle!  It’s sad but hopefully you will transition into your new life easily.  You will find it fun to go on “date nights” to Lowe’s or Target, LOL.  You can go out to eat at the drop of the hat.  Be spontaneous!
• following this !!!!!!
• Part of the life cycle; just focus on the new worlds opening up for them, not the one slowly closing for you
• Try to reconnect with your spouse and remember what you did together before children ( BC)
• Celebrate this time! Look for the positive each day and nurture your own interests and curiosity. You’ve worked hard to get here. It’s ok to be sad some days but embrace the adventure ahead…and a totally new and wonderful relationship with your first year college student.
• This is the most difficult. Even the dog felt the loss. We had honestly not watched netflix or a lot of TV movies so friends suggested this and it did help immensely! We were also advised not to clean out their  rooms or rearrange them until they are college graduates. They still love to come home to their space.
• Enjoy your time! They still come home so don’t stress!
• In my experience, there are two different sorrows that hit simultaneously: the sorrow of missing one’s kids and the sadness about that huge part of one’s life being over. Once I realized this, it was easier. I saw that the end of that life stage meant the beginning of another, with its own attractions. And I realized the kids would stay in close touch, and be home to visit soon.
• Your kid is not gone yet.  They will be back.  And, it’s your job to launch them.  They and you are doing exactly what you/they are supposed to do
• I have 4 kiddos in college this year. Myself an empty nester first time. Stay focused, positive, scheduled and active. Visit your kids, reach out and expect them home sooner than you expect. Take the time to organize your home and plan new activities. It’s a gift if you have them wings. They’ll fly back home.
• Make cooking fun instead of a chore, we would eat Charcuterie for dinner, or a night of our favorite sides. I stopped stressing over the health of growing kids and made it fun.(We still eat healthy, just wasn’t stressed about it)
• It’s hard to believe when they leave them, but in time, you truly will enjoy finding extra time for yourself.
• Start a bucket list if you don’t have one and knock off as much as you can.  Enjoy time with friends and family (besides your kids) to fill the void! 
• You will wonder how you ever got everything done before when you were also chasing kids. And they will be back home soon.
• I’m not there yet, so I’m all ears!
• It was going to be this way from the beginning had all gone well, so if this is happening now, that means all went well, and you should feel good about that as parents and enjoy this time of life. All phases of life have their charms.
• N/A
• Keep busy. Restart all those activities you haven’t done forever. Do some activities with your spouse
• Empty nesting is different for everyone.  
• You may be unsure about what this brings, but we were happily surprised with the many benefits:  no empty beer cans piled in the basement; no dirty dishes/clothes/shoes littering the house; no sleeping/passed out bodies of unknown friends on our couches; no more worrying about 2am arrivals back home (out of sight, out of mind…); no more worrying about car crashes/tickets/episodes (do NOT let them bring a car to school, lest they return home). I could go on, but embrace these benefits, the empty nest is glorious !  Especially if they are within a 5 hour car ride, you’ll see them plenty…
• As a stay-at-home mom of three children each 4 years apart, I really anguished over “the end” of that role. So, I planned a few quick getaways and day excursions with my husband, dear friends, and other empty-nest moms. Not only were those adventures so fun these moments reminded me that freedom from other people’s schedules (dinner/practices/meets) is something to relished rather than mourned.
• This was me and my husband last year.  It was strange at first…not having to be at a sports tournament every weekend, no high school events, meetings, or games.  The grocery bill did go down, though- that was an added bonus.  By the end of the first semester, we had adjusted and were excited when our boys were home for winter break. 
• Have something to look forward to, make plans to do something you could not do when the kids were at home.  Travel is a big one for us, we don’t have to worry about someone keeping an eye on the kids while we’re gone. 
• Embrace new things and stay connected to fellow empty nesters
• The first week is really difficult, but you will adjust quickly. 
• Focus on your relationships with othes-renew your relationships. Take on opportunities to serve others. Get to know your spouse, significant other and or friends more closely and more currently. And most importantly take care of yourself and your own health, so you are ready to be your best self for others and your child once they visit or come home:)
• Ignore everyone’s advice if it doesn’t work for you.
• Enjoy the freedom! Do all the fun things you’ve been putting off.
• Not sure, as still a few years away from that.
• Get a project, whatever it is that you love to do, and do it without excuses
• I’m a year into empty nesting and it’s pretty heart wrenching esp bc I was a SAHM with a side hustle that allowed me to work while they were in school. It’s really important that you have activities in your life to keep you stimulated and interested. Think of yourself when you were 10 yrs old. What were you like? What were you into? That’s the core of who you are – bring that energy back. Not literally bc we are old haha but I mean – bring back what you were into – for me it’s a curiosity, freedom, adventure that I would get from riding my bike to the town pool or exploring the creek and getting muddy. Find things now that provide curiosity, etc. For me, I’ll be starting grad school in the fall! Why not??? It’s a big “why not?” time – learn new things – keep your body and mind and soul excited.
• Keep busy!  Take up a new hobby, share your talents and time with organizations who need your help!  Stay connected in your community!