The homes of my parents, my sister, and my brother can be mapped out (as the crow flies) as a triangle on the map of the state of Wisconsin. No one house is more than a couple hours from the other.
And then there is me, all the way in Colorado. I chose to move a thousand miles away from home to be with the husband twelve years ago. Love of my life versus family, not a tough decision when you are twenty-two.
Yet, during the past year, it has been far from easy to be so far away. Health scares and crises, the birth of my brother’s twin daughters, and most recently, the loss of a dear family friend – these all have contributed to each goodbye being more difficult to say. And face it, my parents are not getting any younger.
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But! But! I have a life in Colorado. A home, with the husband and the cats and the newly installed hardwood floors. His parents are an hour away, some of his best friends are nearby.
For a long time, it felt like his life, not my life. I struggled to make friends of my own here. A few years ago, there was a chance to move to Minneapolis, which excited me. Closer to home, closer to my life, give him a chance to experience my life.
Now it’s different. Through work and through blogging, friends have been made from Longmont to Aurora. I enjoy shopping in Boulder and exploring the trails near our house in Westminster. I have made a life here. I have made my life. One worth coming back to each time I visit home.
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Oh, the dilemma faced when you flee the nest. Balancing who I am here versus who I am there, finding time to travel to be with them, them finding time to travel to be with me. It will never be resolved, it will always be a challenge.
At least now I am comforted by having built my own life.
I am facing this sort of thing myself, though the distance is a bit more. Right now, we live 10 minutes away from my parents, an hour from Nate, and about two hours from most extended family.
But I want to move to the Northwest, which means we are really going to suffer from fleeing the nest type situations. :( Sometimes, it can’t be helped, you do it for your own growth. :) Sounds like you have grown alot. Good job, that’s a tough thing to do.
I think you are brave for making the move, and who knows where life will take you. Blogging and writing does help feeling connected across lots of physical space. That is nice. :-)