Saying Goodbye. Again.

I’ve been attending a workshop series at Lighthouse, Edinburgh’s radical bookstore. The workshops are interesting enough that each time I’ve attended a few people have headed to a pub afterward to discuss and digest what they learned.

This has afforded me the opportunity to have deeper conversations and quickly get past the introductory parts of getting to know new people. A couple of other surprisingly deep friendships have arisen from other encounters here in Scotland. Although they are chronologically young, these friendships are born of introspection and critical thinking and I hope they continue beyond my stay here.

And that’s the crux. It came up in conversation after the most recent workshop that “we should continue these conversations.” I won’t be here for that.

The experience was similar leaving Dublin. It made me a bit sad when new friends made plans for book clubs, meetups, etc beyond my time there.

As you realize how big and amazing the world and it’s people really are, you also come to realize that you can’t possibly take it all in. I’ve written before about opportunity cost. More opportunities bring more costs.

However, they also bring more rewards. For me, gratitude is the only way to mitigate and even enjoy the opportunity costs of this trip. My world is bigger than it once was. My possibilities are broader than they once were. Because I created new ones.

So it will be with an air of gratitude that I go into this last week in Edinburgh*. I know social media sometimes sucks. But I am very grateful for the increased likelihood of keeping these new friends in my life. Not to mention seeing each other again when I return.

Though I must point out that social media isn’t a prerequisite for staying in touch. As evidenced by a postcard from Geraldine!

*I’ll be in London Oct 10-17 and then HOME!