So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehen, Goodbye

For someone who has now lived in seven states in a mere 24 years, you would think that goodbyes are kind of my thing. But really, are goodbyes anyone's thing? I certainly hope not. I've bid adieu to (yieu and yieu and yieu.. sorry, couldn't help myself) family, friends, boyfriends, roommates, co-workers, neighbors houses, and apartments, along with a smathering of favorite local eateries and dive bars. Though moving (and dating) around has made it easier for me to be open to new opportunities and adaptable in new environments, I in no way consider myself to be good at goodbyes. In fact, I have made a few key mistakes along the way. Below are a few of the highlights:

1. If you are in the 5th grade, don't expect much out of a long distance relationship - it probably won't work out, no matter how much he promises to IM.
2. Don't watch a sad movie (aka The Notebook) after a particularly tough one - it won't make you "cry it all out", it will just make you "drink a whole bottle of wine" which really helps no one involved.
3. Don't go on a shopping spree - the spending hangover is worse than the one you get from #2.
4. Don't wallow - no matter what kind of goodbye it is, being hung up on where you were or what you had before is unhealthy and completely unproductive. Get your butt off the couch and get out! The grass may not be greener, but that doesn't mean it can't still be green.

So why am I on a goodbye tangent today? Well, unfortunately, I've got one looming later on tonight - not a permanent one, but it will still sting. So thinking about tonight got me thinking about the many, many times in one's life when this just.. happens. Whether it's for an hour, until the holidays, for ONE more semester, or - sometimes - forever, it is never a pleasant thing, but hopefully there is a bright side to look to.

Take my move to Pittsburgh from Cincinnati, for example. I had been in, or near Cincinnati for the better part of 6 years and had no reason to leave. I was close to some of my best friends, I had a great job, a new apartment in a cute town that I loved and life was good. So WHY am I in Pittsburgh now? Good question! Only joking of course. An opportunity arose that I couldn't pass up and so I packed my bags. Did I put more thought into it than that? Of course, but not much. When you know, you go - and the next thing I knew I was unpacking in a brand new apartment in Pittsburgh exactly four hours away and starting a brand new job with a company that I had only dreamed of working for. Sure, there are days when I wake up and think I'm a little crazy for just up and moving, adding my my already lengthy list of goodbyes, but where's the fun in life if you aren't living it?

SJ

*Side Note: If you don't get the title of this post, stop whatever you're doing and go rent The Sound of Music. I mean it!