Growing up

I feel like I'm in sort of a weird place right now. I just got home for Spring Break and had dinner tonight with a friend from high school. Hearing her tell stories about show choir and teachers and people I grew up with put a nostalgic ache in my heart. Some teachers I loved are retiring, a good friend that is graduating this year is pregnant, and my show choir won their first grand championship.

While part of me wishes that I were there to experience these things, I know I'm creating a new life in Ohio. I've made so many great friends since freshman year and have exponentially expanded my network. I've become wiser and more naive over the past two years, but I still feel I'm moving forward to something great.

The problem lies in how to balance these two connections and how to know when to move on. I by no means want to return to high school, but I am saddened by the fact that I wasn't there to see my friends accomplish great things or to be a shoulder to cry on. There are only so many hours in the day, and while I've somewhat mastered balance in my professional/educational life, I've yet to get there emotionally.

So where do I draw the line? I only keep in close contact with a few people from high school, but I still care about so many more and only want the best for them. How can you possibly make the decision to leave an old life behind for a possibly better but unknown one?

I know this is a little more personal than my usual posts, but I felt it needed to be said.