A Thousand Miles

A good friend has just moved 1,000 miles away and I am thinking a lot about her today.  For me, it's the end of seeing her on a regular basis and knowing that we could get together readily.  For her, it's a new beginning, a time to start afresh with a new state, community, home and neighbors.  She is entering a new life, a time of discovery for her in every way.  A part of me envies her ability to pick up and start anew, wondering what that would feel like at this stage of my life.  And then I think of all of the great reasons as to why I prefer to remain where I'm firmly planted.  There is nothing so affirming for me than to see familiar faces on the street downtown or to be able to converse on a first-name basis at the bank or in the grocery store check-out lane or to have such a shared history with a community and its people that where you end and they begin blurs.  Now that our parents are gone and our small families are spread from one end of the country to the other, the people of this small town become family for Larry and me.  They know our histories, they care about our todays and they accept and even embrace us, flaws and all.  So, while a 1,000-mile trek has a certain appeal, I realize that being firmly rooted here is just what I need.