On the Periphery

Things change. Life throws us curves and changeups. It's good to have a place to vent.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

I'm getting nostalgic, and I'm not even gone yet.

Yes, we are moving in a couple of weeks. We're not going far, so I've been hauling carloads of smaller and fragile items to the new house a few times a week. The dog is getting used to having a yard rather than a limitless field. I've hooked up the phone, TV, and Internet, and have started stacking things in the various closets. I've even put up a few curtains. It's starting to feel like home.

But it will be hard to go for good, and I have come to realize that it's not so much the house and land I will miss (although my dreams will continue to take place here), but the familiarity and, most of all, the friends.

We need that circle of friends. It's what makes TV shows work, from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to "Cheers" to "Sex and the City." We get a peek into a circle of friends, and they become our friends as well. In real life, our lives are no so closely entwined with those of our friends--we often go days or even weeks without seeing or talking to each other, while on TV, they are constant (Didn't Mary have any friends other than Rhoda and Phyllis? Didn't Diane have a life outside of that damn bar? How much time did it take for Carrie to keep all three friends updated on absolutely every aspect of her life?)

While we don't really have that crunch of closeness necessitated by TV, we do have a knowledge and familiarity that makes our lives comfortable. If I need help, I know when Sue goes to the health club, what Mary's work schedule is, when Anne babysits her granddaughter, and how to track down Suzanne anytime, through her children. I can joke on the phone with Joan's husband, and commiserate with Pamela about teaching. We share hilarious stories about children, theater, and jobs, and listen to each other when we are frightened or angry or sad. I know they will come through for me, and I think they know that I am always available for them as well.

And that, my friends, is what I will miss the most, but I'm not so far away. Friends will be friends no matter what, and I carry that comfort with me when I go.

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