We have "lived away" for almost 24 of our almost 26 years of marital bliss :) that includes 3 major moves/metropolitan areas and 1 minor move (a quick year for grad school at UT). The closest we have lived to family was during a brief overlap with my sis - 85 miles with 5, then 6, then 7 children (the additions were hers!) separating us and occasionally making things challenging - but we made the best of it - getting together as often as we could. I truly believe that the bond that our children share was forged in those early days - days and outings that they might not even remember consciously - but somehow the memories have somehow seeped into who they are and who they are together.
Why am I thinking about "living away"? I think it was because my parents were here visiting last week. It was the first time that they have seen E perform - I was thrilled that they were here to see her but it also made me think about all that they have missed. Not only with E but all of the girls - ballet, poms performances, dance recitals, voice recitals, musicals, plays, cheerleading, awards nights, band concerts, chorus, miscellaneous school "stuff", graduations, etc. And that doesn't begin to cover the day-to-day stuff that our lives are made up of either. We have been fortunate to have family here for a few things - but far too few when you make the list. Is that the price we have paid to live away.
I don't remember ever consciously making the decision to live away
- it just happened -
as an outgrowth of employment opportunities.
Our "Living away" experiences have become so much of who we are and permeate so many of our experiences that I don't wish we had never lived away - but I also realize that those experiences must be counterbalanced by the things we have lost. It is interesting to follow blogs and read complaints about having to go to "yet another family activity". I'd like to comment but don't (my post would be too long and possibly to preachy). But it helps me to understand why I occasionally find myself feeling a little jealous when we settle into our seats at an event and are surrounded by large family groups celebrating the events that make up our lives.
Isn't life and making choices an intricate balancing act?
