Goodbyes are strange, aren't they? I feel like they never set in for me until after I've said them. And I have certainly said a lot in the last few days. There was a big, photo-filled goodbye on the sidewalks of Seattle with my family, and then many scattered goodbyes as the array of people I've spent the last two and a half years of my life with went about their way, beginning a new quarter. I am lucky enough to have a number of best friends who graciously hosted a spontaneous gathering before my flight yesterday, giving me a few more precious hours to spend with everyone. I didn't have to leave for the airport until 3:30am, so as the night drew on the numbers dwindled and the amount of hugs I received so far this year increased tenfold. Finally it was just me in the airport shuttle, waving enthusiastically to Colby and Chelsey and thinking that in the streetlights they looked like a picture in The Daily Prophet, frozen in a moment. Even then, the goodbyes didn't seem like they would last. Now, sitting on my aunt's couch in New York, it's setting in. I'm feeling unsettled and overwhelmed, but it's a new year, a new beginning, right? A time to say goodbye to the past, It's fitting that I'm saying hello to a new chapter in my life.
Change is always discomfiting. Remember when you went to the U, you were so nervous then too. And look at all the friends you have now. Just treat yourself nice and before you know it you will have a bunch of new friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, your writing is great!