I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week. I wonder what my life would be like if I had found everything I wanted close to home. I’m from Colorado. My husband is from Missouri. We met (on internship) in Florida, and currently live here again. And I feel like my heart is in a thousand places, where life is going on without me, and sometimes it’s hard to deal with.
I grew up with my large family very close. Went to college an hour away from home. After I graduated, and married the above-mentioned boy, we moved back to his home area so he could finish school. We ended up staying in Southwest Missouri for 4 years. And I complained the whole time. I wanted to live in Florida. I wanted to go home to Colorado. Anything but in that rural-to-me town in Missouri. To me, it was his town, his people. And I thought I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
By good fortune, a ton of support and a lot of hard work, we were able to move back to our #1 choice – Florida. He’s been here almost 9 months, and I’ve been here 7. Found good jobs with the company we wanted to work for. This was the plan, and it’s working out wonderfully. But it doesn’t come without a surprise sacrifice for me. I find myself missing his town, his people more than I ever thought I would.
This last weekend, we traveled back to SW Missouri for a wedding. One of DH’s best friends got married. It was an emotional weekend for me, actually traveling there, having home be Florida, where I longed to be for those 4 long years. Hanging out with his people like nothing had changed, like we hadn’t been gone for so long. But I realized, they’re not just his. These guys are brothers to my DH, and they’re also now my friends, my family. And I didn’t realize how deep that ran and how much I miss them.
I know I am blessed to have these people in my life. I am so fortunate to be married to my DH, and it’s incredible how we randomly met so far away from home for both of us. But I can’t help but sometimes envy (like right now as I’m in tears writing about my friends) people who find the rest of their lives so close to homes. They don’t have to decline invites 10 year high school reunions because they’re both the same weekend and it’ll be impossible to travel that weekend. They don’t miss their grandparent’s last minute 50th anniversary dinner. They get to help the newly married couple move into their new home. American Idol nights just get bigger and better.
Maybe you’re someone who has everything close to home. And maybe you’re someone who has your people scattered everywhere. But wherever you are, don’t take any of those relationships – easy or challenging – for granted. Friendships like these are hard to come by, take care of them.
princesstommi
Tommi, that’s such a beautiful blog. I know exactly how you feel, having moved away from friends too many times. Try to remember that you had four years to grow attached to those friends, and it will take while to find & grow attached to friends in Florida…but it will happen.