Enlightenment

I had very insightful talks with my mom and my wife yesterday. Very insightful, to say the least.

They made me realize that it's quite possible that people are being rude and distancing themselves from me to protect their own feelings because I am leaving Alabama.

The relationships that I have established in Montgomery were awesome neverthless, there's no beating around the bush....I'm leaving in a few weeks. I don't expect the people that I have established relationships with to talk to me every single day, but I do believe in loyalty and communication. I really do work hard in making sure my friends are happy and growing and always supported. I know that I might go from zero to sixty sometimes in terms of my temper/attitude but after both parties calm down, we laugh, and we move on.

As of recently, people very close to me have distanced themselves from me and have done some VERY shady things and in the back of my mind, I feel like it's my fault. My mommy and wife reminded me that I can't blame myself for anything because I was not the only person involved in the relationship (I don't mean lovey dovey relationship either. Whenever two people come together and engage in interaction and socialization, a relationship is formed. Please forgive the sociologist in me.).

People are trying to cope with me leaving Alabama just as much as I am trying to cope with leaving them AND Alabama.

Of course my hope was that my friends and I communicate and come to some type of balance and contentment leading up to my departure. This balance would carry on to Chicago and they would come and visit in the summer. Or we could talk on the phone often to make sure our lives are still aligned. Whatever I expected. It's not really happening that way.

I want my friends to know that regardless of what you have done in the past couple of weeks, I AM still your friend and I hold the same values since the beginning of our friendship. I care, I love, I support. From any distance....from any city.

N*