Adios Amigos

Last night we said goodbye to DC with a party, where we were able to gather many of our friends together for a final farewell. Though I was initially resistant to the idea of moving to DC, over the years we lived there, it became home. And last night, as we closed the door behind the last of our departing guests, I think we both felt a touch of sadness.

Though there are things we’ll miss about the place, what we’ll miss most is the people…the once strangers who became friends and then grew dear to us, who left us with hugs and good wishes and funny pictures and nice cards and even a few tears, who made us promise to keep in touch and lamented the fact that it would be an entire year until they saw us again, who were integral parts of our daily lives for the past years. I think we’re both certain that we’ll keep in touch with many of them and that we’ll gather together on occasion, so we are not sad in the sense that we’re losing these people. We’re not. We’re sad, however, that never again will things be the same. We won’t be moving back to DC when we return, and during the year we’re away many of our friends will also be scattering. All of our lives will continue to evolve as they have over the past five years, but this time they’ll be going in so many different directions. Although we can always go back to DC, it won’t ever again be the same DC we left.

And so while we are looking forward to the future and the start of our trip, we are also taking a moment to look back. A tinge of sadness marks our excitement. But mainly, we just feel lucky. Lucky for the opportunity we have ahead of us. And oh so lucky for the experience we have had in DC and for the friends who have made that part of our journey one we will always look back on fondly. So, if you’re reading, thank you…thank you for everything.