I retired from Air Force after accumulating too much stuff (a load of which is still in boxes), and bought my first house in a really rural area in 1999. My biggest problem is and was money. I went from earning decent pay to barely scraping by. It didn't seem to matter that I'd run public health programs for populations of 9,000 and supervised offices of up to 12 people. There were lots of jobs available, but not one suited to me, especially without at least a master's degree. I found a job I liked, but it's not all year round and it doesn't pay that much.

So here I am - four years after retiring and three years after finding this job. It took me a couple of years before I quit worrying I was going to end up living in a cardboard box. I also know I could find a better paying steady job, but I'm happy with this one. One major financial disaster and I may still end up in that box, but worrying about it doesn't help.

You make the changes and you want to think "Ahhh - THAT'S done!" Nope. It's just the beginning, but it can be fun sometimes, not just scary. Do the stuff you can do on your own, then go meet people. Read the local paper to see what's going on. There's a small country store at the end of my road and at any given time during the day, there are a few folks in there just shooting the breeze. Folks hanging out there have given me tips on everything from political happenings to how to find a guy to shingle my roof or fix my septic system. Maybe you've got a little store or some other type of gathering place nearby. Go to your local town office. They usually have information about the town for newcomers.

Feeling overwhelmed is pretty normal. It'll take a while before you feel settled in, but be confident that you WILL get through the adjustment/learning phase.