I want to take the time to wish all of my friends who are leaving Sudbury in the next few months, or have left recently, the best of luck in the future. I'm always so happy with friends when they pursue the things in their lives that take bravery. Some may argue that moving out of town is not a big deal, because one can "always make new friends," or "Facebook is going to let [them] keep in touch." I used to be one of those people.

Over the past few days, I've been doing a lot of thinking about human connections. Part of the reason for that is probably the nature of my current job (Community Partnership Developer with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce), but a lot of it is having so many friends come and go lately. That being said, I always encourage personal development for my friends, even if the decision they are making will remove them from me. Part of being a true friend is wishing what is best for your friend. I have selfishly tried to convince friends, and lovers, to stay behind in the past, but I've grown since then.

Back to an earlier point, what sort of connections does one have with their friends when they are confident they can leave and just replace their friends so easily? That question presents a complex idea. On one hand, I've argued that a person who is willing to leave their friends does not believe their connections are meaningful enough to stay. On the other hand, I've argued that a friend who tries to convince a friend to stay is being selfish. If a friend stays, they may be limiting their personal growth, but they believe their connections are too important to leave. If a friend leaves, they may be viewed as selfish for choosing to degrade their friendships.

Is it possible that some connections are too strong to be damaged by distance? I do not believe so. Sure, a friendship isn't doomed to fall apart just because someone moved away, but I can't see it continuing to be as strong as it was before the move. It's part of life to have connections break down, and other connections strengthen, but I feel there should be something more than that to a friendship. Maybe I'm just crazy.

Being a student is interesting. We move more often, generally, than people do at any other point in their lives I figure. The constant moving creates an interesting cycle for the moving students, who spends time with their new school-town friends, and returns in the summer usually to spend time with their formed friends circle. An interesting dynamic is also created for a person who stays in the same city, and watches their friends come home, and then move away, in cycles. IT's quite odd to watch some of your good friends move away, and then have other friends return home. Often times the friends leaving are closer, because you've just spent considerably time with them over the school year. 

Wherever you end up, old friends and new friends, I hope that you find new friends or rediscover old friends, whose company you enjoy, and who will help you grow as a person!