Leaving Old Friends Behind

I saw a hilarious quote on a show last night which reminded me of Yogi Berra. 

“Your future will look better tomorrow.” Genius.

I am in the process of packing to move and I find myself reflecting on my long-term friendships here in the suburbs of Vancouver where I currently live. Whenever you move away, you give up a lot. 

There are people who know you well from different environments like high school or university, work, hobbies, volunteering etc. They know your background stories and you have shared points of reference to wax nostalgic about. These feel like the roots of your personal tree and you are digging them up in order to move.

I worry about their reaction to my decision to leave. Will they be excited for me? Will they feel sad or resentful that I’m essentially cutting off contact? Will they ever visit me when I’m a ferry ride away? That’s a lot to ask. 

Of course there is also excitement about starting over. I have always had a lot of wanderlust and get bored pretty easily with my surroundings. I used to travel a lot when I was young. I do enjoy meeting new people and especially exploring new places. I look forward to this now.

So generally, I feel torn. My husband says that in five more years, we may not have the energy to move again. As we age, it becomes harder to take on big changes and start over. So he encouraged me to follow my dream of living by the sea and I love him for it.

Have you ever left behind old friends? Did you regret it later or did it work out well for you?