I have had a group of three girl friends since the 7th grade, which I consider to be my closest friends in the world. Over the past 15 years, the four of us have done many things in different corners of the world, but we have always had Seattle as our center point. That is about to change, and it’s kind of rocking my world. In the next two weeks all but one of us, me, are going to be out of the country. We will be spread across the globe, in Italy, in Africa, Chile, and in Seattle, and I am feeling sad.
I honestly can’t remember a time when at least two of us were not here in Seattle, and now I will be the lone member of our tribe holding down the fort. I realize that this may all sound a little dramatic, but in truth, these friends mean everything to me. I have been very lucky to meet new and wonderful friends to add to my friend bag, but there is a sense of unconditional love and support that I have grown accustom to with my travelling compadres, and I’m feeling a sense of loss in their departures. And really I am feeling bummed that I’m not going away and doing something equally fabulous abroad, (which I have done before, but I was never left behind).
As I am sitting here thinking how I can stop feeling sorry for myself, I am finding that this is an opportunity to for me to be creative, in how I communicate with my worldly friends. Maybe we can set up a blog just for the four of us? However we choose to stay in touch, I know that it is important for me to feel connected to them especially when they are gone.
I’m curious as to how you have maintained long distance relationships with friends?
What is most important in maintaining relationships?
Please feel free to share your thoughts.
Cheers to the beginning of a new week,
Talia
I am sorry that you are sad. Here is what has worked for me - most of my core people are on the EC, Africa or Asia. Skype, Calling Cards, Facebook, letters & texts. Can you believe that you can text someone in Ghana?! Well, you can. Also, you can all plan a conference call (I just did this Sunday between Seattle, Chicago & Africa.) I will find out how and get back to you. It was so super easy once we figured out the time change and the perfect hour to chat. We all had the chance to laugh together - awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks not having your friends close by to call and see in an instant, but technology helps us not to feel so far away from each other.
Hey you. Even if touched with a little sadness, it is pretty cool that for a short while, we will be on four different continents. I can't say I know the best way to keep in touch...the new tools of facebook and blogs can be a bit impersonal, skype can be difficult to coordinate even if it seems easy, and old fashioned letters just seem harder to sit down and write these days. But a combination of those things will certainly pull us through. And wherever I am, you know I will be thinking of you. That is what friendship is all about. Plus dreaming up some ways for us to all spend some time together -- however many of us we can get together at a time and whenever we can finagle it -- is a fun way to close the distance.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you are feeling the itch that you should be far away from Seattle too, remember how many awesome things you have going right now, and that we will all hold down the fort at some point so that there is still a home to come back to.