::. It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later ... .::

I refuse to say goodbye anymore ... It's ‘See Ya Later’ or ‘Good Bye For Now’.

For those of you that know me, we've moved around a lot.  For those of you that don’t, my hubby is a Combat Medic in the Army & he is heading to the second half of nursing school at Walter Reed National Military Center in Maryland, so we are moving AGAIN next week.  I think for the most part, I do a pretty good job of playing it off like I'm a good sport about moving so much & that I 'make the most of it,' despite my quite vocal moaning & groaning during the process.  Honestly, I'm a hot mess away from home.  Don't get me wrong, I love my husband with all my heart & of course, I want to be where he is.  I just wish sometimes that I could take "home" with me ...

Think of it like this.  You're a little kid again.  You live in a neighborhood with all of your friends .  You all go to school together.  You all are the best of friends.  Then, your parents tell you that you have to move.  You're forced to pack up your life, move into a new house, new neighborhood, and worst of all having to make new friends.  Basically, you have to start all over again.

This has been my life for the past 6 years.  Except, it’s not as easy as it might have been when you were a little kid.  Making new friends isn’t as simple.  Getting to know a new neighborhood in a short time is nearly impossible.  Especially when you are married with kids & have responsibilities.  And making a short-term house/apartment feel like your own seems pointless when you are probably leaving again soon anyways.  As we get older, most of us have already established our friendships ~ some of them go all the way back to grade school.  We usually share very similar common interests.  So, when a new person comes along, it takes close friends a while to accept them or get to know them.  Although I like to think I’m a very easy going, likeable person, it is always very hard for me to connect with new people.  I've never been one to have a million friends.  I prefer a few quality relationships over quantity.

With that being said, I guess that's just how life really is.  It’s tough to move somewhere and fit right in.  Truth is, it just takes time.  But the worst part is, I usually don't have that kind of time.  Just when I start to adjust and fit in & become close with someone, I have to leave again. 

I always thought it would get easier leaving ...  It just doesn't.  I have met so many wonderful people who I have had to & will have to leave.  And it never feels really okay.  In some ways, I think leaving this time is even worse that even the very first time I had to leave home.  I was HOME for almost 3 years.  I got a taste again of what it's like to be here, ALL the time with my family and friends in short driving distance and I've made a new, wonderful friend that I don't want to leave.  And now that will be gone again, just like that.  I don't know when I'll be back.

Yeah, I'm a little emotional.  Moving is not easy.  Both physically and emotionally.  However, with moving so much, I have truly learned to cherish the time I have with the people who mean the most to me.  The biggest & hardest lesson I have learned is that no one is promised tomorrow.  You HAVE to keep in touch.  You have to let the people who are important to you know how important they are to you before it's too late.  But, it works both ways.  So, until next time ...

“It’s Not Good Bye … It’s See Ya Later”