My friend, Emily, called last week. Even though we don't see each other that much anymore, Emily is one of my best friends in Texas. She was one of the first friends I made after I retired and decided to stay home with Andy. It was a Saturday morning and Charlie was in London on business. Emily's husband was playing golf. We both had the great idea to take our kids to the park. We started chatting and soon found out we had a lot in common. We were both from the mid-west, me from Michigan, her from Iowa, our kids were only a couple months apart, we were about the same age, we both had the same sense of humor and neither one of us had any family in the area. I liked her instantly. We made a date to meet at the park again a few days later. I think we were both a little nervous that the other one wouldn't show up, but we did and became fast friends. Whenever people ask me how I met her, I always laugh and say that I picked her up at the park.
Emily worked three days a week, but we still found time to get together so the kids could play and we could chat. It's hard making friends when you are new to the stay-at-home-mom scene and your kids aren't in school yet. Once they start pre-school or elementary school or other activities like gymnastics or baseball or soccer it's a lot easier, but Andy was only 18 months old so it was tough. Emily was in the same predicament I was, except it was even more difficult for her because she was partly in the working world and partly in the non-working world.
We shared a lot over the last six years. We traded off babysitting, which was awesome. The kids loved to play together and we got some time to ourselves. We shared the joys and pains of trying to get pregnant and the subsequent adjustments to larger families. We moved a little farther away, but we still made an effort to get together. Once the kids were in school it got more challenging, and then when all their activities started it got even harder. We started to see each other less and less. But Emily is one of those friends that no matter how long it's been since you've talked to them, you still have a million things to talk about and can just pick up where you left off. The best way to describe it is comfortable.
So, Emily called last week to tell me that they were moving. To Chicago. Not just a few miles away, try 802 (well, 802 air miles, I'm not sure how many it is on the ground, but you get the picture). I'm excited for her, she'll be back in the mid-west and closer to her family, but bummed for me. I know that I'll see her again, she'll only live about 45 minutes from my brother, but it's not the same. Even though we didn't see each other that often, I always knew she was here and she was family. Soon she'll be gone.
I don't know what it is. I don't expect everyone to stay put forever, everybody moves. In fact, we talk about moving on a regular basis and I seriously doubt that we will stay in Texas forever. I have no idea where we'll go, but I don't think we'll stay here. So why am I so sad? I guess it's the idea that people are moving on, that eventually we will move on. Nothing is permanent. That's not a bad thing, I'm not anti-change, I'm just really happy right now with my friends and our neighbors and the place we live and the schools. I don't want to have to think about making new friends and finding new doctors and whether or not the school system is adequate. I also don't want to have to leave anybody behind.
I'm happy for Emily and I know she is going to love it there. She'll love the changing seasons and the crisp air at Halloween, she'll love the snow and the first signs of spring, she'll get totally involved in all the sports and she will make a ton of friends. I can't wait to visit and see just how well she's doing. I just hope she keeps in touch, because she is one friend that I couldn't stand to lose.
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