"Goodbye" v "See ya later"

I'm not good with goodbyes. And they're not uncommon for me. I haven't moved around that much, but I do live pretty far from my family and travel a lot. So between visits with my family and friends I meet on travels, I do have to say "goodbye" a decent amount. 

Sometimes "goodbye" really does mean goodbye. I remember when I found out my family was moving from Atlanta. I remember crying with my best friend on the playground while a teacher tried to comfort us. She reminded us that this was an exciting move for the family and that just because we wouldn't see each other every day didn't mean we weren't still friends. We could visit each other and write letters; keep in mind this was pre-Facebook. It was a comforting reminder. 

20 years later, I've moved again. Moving after college was difficult, but we all knew it was coming. (I've kept my two best friends as close by my side as possible considering I moved across the country!)  This time it's a little different. I'm sad thinking about leaving Colorado while I'm also just as excited about what the future of this move has to offer. I've made some amazing friends in Colorado. Friends that I tear up when I think about not seeing them everyday. Friends that I didn't know were possible: that love to be outdoors as much as they love fashion, dancing, and watching marathons of Modern Family; that I can tell absolutely anything to without fear of recrimination or judgment while also knowing they'll tell me the truth and call me on my s**t; that I can have deep philosophical discussions with and immediately dissolve into fits of hysterical laughter; that love to travel, to challenge themselves, and experience new things. 

It's that last characteristic that comforts me now. I may be ready for a life change, but Breck will always be special to me. Just because I can't live there right now doesn't mean I won't visit or don't love to ski or that my relationships weren't important. The community there is what makes it so hard to leave! That, and that it was a piece of cake to ski nearly 100 days last year. 

The relationships I've formed are true and lasting. Hence why it was so hard to leave. But also why I won't ever have to truly say goodbye. They'll be there when I go back to visit and they'll be there when they come to visit me. iMessage threads and phone dates will continue. And when in doubt, we'll always have Facebook.