Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
I’ve used this quote several times in my short lifetime both for myself and for others. This quote gives me hope every time I have to leave someone I love. This quote is my constant reality because I am constantly in the position where I have to leave people that I love. I am in a position that many college age young adults find themselves—or at least those young adults that have left their childhood homes to find themselves. When I graduated from high school, I made the decision to go to college in Indiana– a state far away from my home state, Colorado. Leaving my home, family, and childhood friends was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. For two years, I developed several wonderful relationships in the Chicagoland area. I then decided to move to California to finish up my Bachelor’s degree, so I left those dear friends behind. Now, as I’ve lived in California for about three years, I’ve made several more good friends and beautiful relationships, and soon, once again, I’m going to have to leave them, too. But at the same time as I lose the physical nearness of one friend, I gain either the former nearness of past friends and family, or I gain new friends to fill the void. In high school, I wrote a paper on a short story in which I discovered that people are wired to desire relationships–close contact, intimate bonds– with other people. As I get older and as I gain new friendships, my capacity to love grows. I don’t forget about those people I have left behind, but rather because of distance and because of new relationships, my ability to love them increases— absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
It has been more than a week (probably closer to two weeks) since I last posted something. I didn’t intentionally decide that I was going to wait this long to write, but as most things in life, it just happened. I got busy; I didn’t plan my time well; I was overwhelmed with trivial matters…. all of those are legitimate and truthful excuses for my absence. My question I pose to you…. did it make your heart grow fonder?
For some of you that faithfully read my journal entries, I already know the answer. I even received a couple of worried phone calls (which cracked me up actually). Just so everyone knows, I am alive and well. I am back in action and better than ever!
Here’s a short recap of some of the happenings in my life lately in the form of one very long, wordy sentence….
I have become addicted to the TV show ‘Bones’, started exercising consistently, fell off of a treadmill while jogging (yes, quite embarrassing), created a huge classroom length rainbow out of construction paper chains, cursed and screamed when two of my coworkers decided to scare me at my entrance to work early on a Saturday morning, went to Alice in Wonderland in 3D (amazing), spilt an entire cup of Coke on my cute dark denim jeans while out at a nice restaurant with my roommate, and walked outside in shorts, a t-shirt, sunglasses, and flip flops on Sunday afternoon to gloriously welcome spring to California…. life is good, my dear readers.
