Connection is important. It grounds us, makes us feel loved and fulfilled, and now, more than ever, we have so many ways to be connected. But still, it’s easy sometimes to get caught up in our busy lives working, traveling, traveling for work, traveling for fun, and on and on… that we forget sometimes to uphold those personal connections we need the most. This post is a series of thoughts by Ro on traveling, growing older, trying to stay on track, and knowing when to say goodbye.
Since graduating high school I’ve constantly moved from apartment to apartment, city to city and back. I thought after finishing up my masters that I would become grounded, but it turns out that is not the case and I like it that way. I love to travel and as I imagine living abroad, I’m constantly seeking new places to visit. As great as the constant travel and exploration can be, there is one aspect of all this transition that I absolutely hate and am working to understand.
The more I have travelled, explored, and moved leads to the more disconnected I have become with friends.
When you are full of wanderlust, you tend to prioritize travel over friends, family, commitments, and more. It becomes a balancing act that more than likely will fail in one way or another. And this type of failure can be one of the hardest because it can feel so selfish. Travel brings out a strong desire in me to learn, be, and understand the world. But what is my world, if my constant movement alienates those I hold dear?
Friendships can be tough. Growing up we see our friends every day in school, we naturally strengthen and build relationships with little to no effort. Fast forward to the adult years and we realize, somehow this simple process has become harder. Friendships are hard. Maintaining friendships while in constant movement and attempting to keep up with all other aspects of life- even harder.
Currently, I am working to accept that one friendship I used to have is lost. It’s tough to swallow, and I know that my sense of wanderlust and perhaps hers, led to our lack of friendship. I know that people drift apart and come back together. And I know that sometimes you just have to let things go. But knowing that our more than ten years of memories will not continue makes me so sad, and for so long now I have wanted to try harder. But, like traveling, sometimes it is just best to know when to say goodbye for a while, when to move on, when to go explore, to get excited about new friendships I can make along the way, and understand that failure is an option. It’s ok to drop off some baggage and never pick it back up. It served a purpose, but for now I’m leaving it in the lost and found.
