Farewell

So, Patrick is leaving. He's moving away, way up north. For a long time he's wanted to be a manager, and that often means being willing to move around. His opportunity for promotion is taking him far away.
Good for him. I think he'll do well. And he plans to transfer back to this area once he gets some experience. But in the meantime, I'll miss him, and his parting has made me reflect on what his friendship has meant to me.

I remember back to the first time we met, when I thought he was the definition of a jerk (we retell this story all the time). I remember back to the first time we hung out, when he took me out to dinner theater on Valentines Day and we laughed about how despite the way such plans would appear, we were just friends. He took me to Cirque du Soleil that summer. We started having movie days and long conversations. He made chicken noodle soup when I had a cold and gave me chocolate when I had a crisis. He invited me to his special Christmas dinner. I started dating Justin and eventually he started dating Katie, and then we'd all have movie days together. We went out for breakfast and we floated down the river and we tailgated at a football game. He told me when he thought I was spending too much time with Justin and not enough time with my other friends (like him), and he's spread outrageous and hilarious rumors. At times it's seemed awkward, and I haven't always valued his input, but he has always been an incredibly faithful and generous friend to me.

Farewell, Patrick. Thank you for enriching my life.

~~~~~~~~~~

I think I need to start being more intentional about my friendships.
Katie, for instance. This is a sad time for her; her boyfriend is moving away, and things are new enough between the two of them that nothing is certain. She's going to be lonely. I need to help. I want to make intentional efforts to connect with her instead of just waiting until it happens on its own. I make time to hang out. It really wouldn't be so hard for me to plan to take my breaks with her, at least.

I need to realize that my friendships require effort and planning and investment on my end. I can't just coast along.