This past year has been a rough one for Greg and I on a friendship level because we have had to say way too many goodbyes to people who have decided to move away. And most of them, have been lured away by the great state of California and all that it has to offer. Most left because California has a booming tech industry and a lot of our friends are nerds. And nerds are now cool. And cool people only want to live in California, obviously. And I get it. They are leaving for better jobs and more money and better weather, where you don’t sweat 90% of the year. And I don’t fault them for it one little bit. Although my tolerance level for the state of California is at an all time low. I’m serious, Cali. Stop taking people I love or I am coming for you. And not in an “Ok, You Win. I might as well move too.” But in a “throw yourself into the volcano as a human sacrifice so that the volcano caves in on itself and collapses, freeing the small village below” kind of way. Kind of like that guy in Independence Day who flies his spacecraft into the eye of alien ship, immediately incinerating himself but saving mankind. Yeah, that kind of way.
Anyways, I digress from my point. As we are about to bid adieu to one more family, I have found myself emotionally coming full circle. With each departure, I’m always a little bit sad, a little bit mad and eventually a little bit ok. I remember one time I worked on a shoot with a girl who was from…I can’t actually remember where she was from, but it was a small Island in the Caribbean that was owned by the British. Anyways, I remember her telling me one time that she never understood why people who lived in the US complained about the specific place that they lived. In her mind, if you don’t like where you live, then take advantage of the massive, diverse expanse that is the United States and just move! You don’t need a passport or a visa to move around the States. Heck, you don’t even need a job, if you’re ok with eating Ramen and living in a one bedroom dump for a while until you convince your local Starbucks to give you a job. And while the homebody in me can’t imagine leaving all that I know and starting a life somewhere else, I have to admit I can see why other people do it.
It is always sad to say goodbye to people you love, especially when they are going as physically far away as possible (seriously, California, enough already). But it’s a part of what makes life so poignant. People move in and out of our lives and sometimes, back in again. I have noticed in each circumstance that it is a great testament to the stability of some of my friendships. I still randomly text Liz to ask what kind of dinosaur shows she lets Elliott watch. Anica and I swap postcards. And technology today makes it hard to believe someone actually left.
All of this to say, we miss each of our friends and their families dearly but have hope that these goodbyes are only for a season. And no amount of land mass has removed them from our hearts. (Also, I hate California.)
itaintallrainbows 