Leaving Home

What I have come to learn over the last few years of traveling between home here in Ontario, school on the East Coast, and around the world on my travel semesters is that leaving is always hard. And the most frustrating thing is that it doesn't seem to get any easier the more often I do it. If anything, it seems to be becoming more difficult. 

I am so blessed to have really incredible friends all over Canada and other countries around the world, but this makes leaving places seem so much more difficult, and sometimes, pretty traumatic. Maybe I am just feeling overly dramatic because I am going away for such a long time. From this end, 8 months feels like a lifetime.

Now, I have been away from my second home -- the wonderful university that is SSU -- for 8 months, and that has been hard too. It was especially difficult in September when many of my school friends were reuniting while most of my friends from home had just left for school. I felt pretty lonely and spending 8 months away from my dear friend, Alyssa, has been insanely challenging. But it was all bearable because by the end of last semester I really needed a break from school. I needed some space from the academic world. And this down time has been invaluable. 

So here I am now. I am so ready to get back to SSU and dive back into academia and see my friends that await me there, but my heart is breaking at the notion of leaving my life here. I have recently fostered such close friendships here. My parents and I are getting along incredibly well. I am involved in a youth group with teens that I have invested so much time and love into and I kind of feel like I am deserting some of them in their darkest hours. I have made new friends that I wish I could get to know better. And now that most of my friends are home for Christmas, we have been spending a lot of time together and it has felt beautifully warm and comfortable. So it hurts. 

At the same time, I know that this challenge will stretch me in some positive ways, and I have such an exciting time ahead of me. So don't mistake this for something it is not. I am simply venting. I am honestly very excited to get on to the next chapter of my life and I can't wait to see what sorts of adventures I find myself in! 

My friend, Brent, wisely told me, "...if anything, just be happy you've got a group of kick ass people to see you when you get back." And for that, I could not be more thankful. So to all of my friends here at home, I'll miss you while I'm gone so please stay in touch! (Letters, emails, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, FaceTime, etc., etc., etc.). I'll see most of you in August! To my friends who I will not be seeing until May, I still miss you and I love hearing from you when I do. I can't wait to see you. And to my friends I will be seeing in just about a week, I AM SO EXCITED. See you soon!

Peace & Love, 

Kay.

A beautifully crazy group of people I get to call my friends.
Photo Credit: J. Kononiuk