An invitation to belong should not require abandoning everyone who knew you before.

Some groups offer warmth on the condition that your old life recedes: the friends who do not understand, the family who hold you back, the earlier version of you to be left behind. The welcome may be real, but it makes leaving later very expensive, because there is nobody else left to go to. Belonging that costs your other ties is not free.

Notice if a new closeness comes with quiet pressure to see fewer people. Keep at least a few relationships that predate it. Real welcome can share you.