on the road again

Though we just arrived to our new home last weekend after an 800+ mile drive, we are on the road again to an undisclosed location for a surprise party. This also happens to be my first blog post via blackberry. I'd prefer to write on a larger keyboard but fear I will not have the opportunity to blog once we arrive. Luckily I'm not the one driving.

Today's post will be a brief comment on the power of growth and reconnection. Prior to living in St. Louis for the past three years, I lived in Chicago, close to my childhood home, where I was lucky enough to live near family and old friends. In fact, I had known the majority of my friends in Chicago for 10-15 years. Imgaine my discomfort when I moved to St. Louis to be with my partner of nine months. When I arrived, I had only friends of friends and acquaintances in St. Louis. Although I developed some fantastic life-long friendships while there, adult friendships are quite different from those you make during your child and teen years. I grew a lot while in St Louis, and did some important personal work that I doubt I would have done if I had stayed in the comfort zone of Chicago. It is only when you experience discomfort that you can grow. Though painful at times, I appreciated the challenge on multiple levels.

In the DC/Baltimore area, I have a good handful of "old" friends (from childhood and college). I'm excited about the process of reconnecting with them and renewing/re-energizing these friendships. There is something nice about already having a foundation from which to build your new home. And in the process of getting to know old friends again, I hope to learn more about myself and will even consider meeting some new people. (This is sarcasm, I know I'll meet new people, its just a little out of my comfort zone at times. It's the getting-to-know-you part that can be tedious.) This is my next challenge in experiencing discomfort in comfortable surroundings. And I'm ready for it... I think. For now though, I have to get back to my road trip with my lover to what should be an interesting evening.