Two years ago they came, and now two years later, they are leaving. Not only are they leaving, but they have a little one on the way and are packing their bags to go all the way back to Melbourne. It’s always exciting when friends move to New York and then sad when they leave because it feels like the friend group just starts dwindling and dwindling. At this point. I don’t even think we have that many friends left in New York to do a Thanksgiving gathering that I’d want. I’m even thinking about forgoing it this year. The friends we have remaining… I really do not want them to be under the same roof again. It was too much the last time for me, and I think I ended the night feeling more agitated than happy about how the food turned out. That’s never a good thing.

I have never enjoyed large friend groups or cliques. I learned from an early age that that just wasn’t for me. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s harder and harder to meet people I not only click with, but also who live nearby and are willing to commit time and energy to spending time together. Time is the one commodity we really need to cherish because it never feels like we have enough of it, and it’s also the one thing that most people can be quite stingy about.