Gal Pals

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend so far, overindulging on wine and Netflix. I will be with you in spirit, as I am stuck working all weekend.

I have been working a lot the past couple weeks. Sick leaves, short staffing and what seems like long hours everyday are starting to catch up with me and leaving me feeling emotionally depleted. Although I wish I was a robot with superhuman powers who has the ability to run for months and months on nothing but food and water, I, unfortunately, am not. Every now and then I need to take some time for myself to reflect inwards and find my grounding again. It is very easy for me to lose sight of myself when I am constantly on the go, so every now and then I need to take some time for myself and do things I love such as yoga or writing or watching Netflix with a pink gin and tonic (face mask included). Sometimes these remedies help me. Other times, the doctor orders good quality time spent with my closest girlfriends. But how do you do that when they are living across the ocean?

Moving countries is incredible. I would do it over and over again. I love the travelling, meeting new people, seeing new places, trying new food, and immersing myself in a new culture. However, in the same token, moving is hard, and this is often not talked about. Although you gain incredible memories and experiences, you also loose (in a sense) the people who are able to pick you back up when you’re feeling low, and the people who also love sitting around gossiping with you all day, as you are now on the other side of the world. You loose the people who know everything about you, and instead you find yourself lost in a new place with people who (dramatically speaking) couldn’t care less about you. Today at work, a customer made a point to emphasize how far away I am from my close group of friends. “I could never do it,” she said. “You must miss your girlfriends like crazy. Are you finding it hard to be so far away from them?. Normally I am able to push theses comments aside and not think too much about them, but this one left its mark on me. I miss my friends beyond belief, and it really just hit me today.

Not only do I miss them incredibly, the life changes we are all going through alone makes me terribly sad. Although they are all in Canada, they live in different cities, so don’t see each other as much as they are used to either. This in itself is a massive change, as we all grew up and lived in the same town for years. One friend is going through a major breakup with someone she thought she was going to be with forever, and another is getting ready to graduate grad school and is facing the post-graduation reality, and another is planning a wedding with her fiancé. Major. Changes. Its the harsh reality of what you sacrifice when you decide to move. I feel so sad missing out on these events, the chats, people who understand me, and my role as a friend, even though I am seriously in love with travelling. It’s a weird concept.

I’ve met some great people so far on my travels and in my new life in Ireland, and they have all treated me great, but nothing can compare to those childhood friends. The ones where you don’t have to say anything and they know exactly what you’re thinking, and always know how to put a smile on your face regardless of the mood you’re in. I love and miss my people. All I can say is thank god for iMessage group chats.

I would love to hear any stories/experiences/remedies you’ve had with moving or travelling and missing your friends either back home or who live far away. Any advice is good advice and I am always open to new ways and ideas for keeping in touch with people. And don’t forget to message your people today, even if they live right around the corner :)!