On Mother's Day, my Facebook feed was flooded with pictures of friends spending the day with their moms. Taking their moms out to brunch or hiking with their moms or having a backyard BBQ with their moms.
I called my mom because she's on the opposite end of the country with me. I'm the only one in my entire extended family living in this region of the US. I grew up here, but my family and my brother (who has refused to talk with me for over a decade at this point for still unknown reasons) moved away several years ago for work.
Even before I moved, 90% of my friends had left town. And while I've made some new friends in my new home, most of them are through the current boyfriend and are seen in context with the current boyfriend. I haven't made many friends I can really hang out with on my own yet.
Sometimes, it's hard being alone. If something breaks down (like, say, your headgasket blows on the highway on a mountain pass when you're moving your entire life across the state [true story]), you have to figure out how to deal with it yourself. That's difficult, and usually expensive.
It can also be empowering, though. You're forced to be self-reliant, which absolutely sucks in the moment, but when you succeed at doing whatever the thing is that needs doing, it's a rewarding experience.
I'm grateful for support where I can get it. But it also feels good knowing I've been able to take care of myself when I need to.
Also, when you live alone you can walk around your house naked eating tacos and no one is there to tell you to stop, so that's a plus, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment