I’ve come to realize I don’t have any close friends in Seattle. This thought became glaringly apparent in the past two weeks of catching up with former housemates and college friends. I feel at home when I’m around them, I feel safe to truly say what is on my mind, and I feel refreshed after our conversations. It both comforts and saddens me that a lot of the people I talked to are experiencing the same loneliness.

At first this revelation made me extremely sad, but now it makes me look forward to the future. My co-workers are an amazing group of people that I’m continually humbled and encouraged by. My church family at New Hope are so incredibly wise and have stood by me as I struggled and still struggle through this new chapter in my life. I’ll most likely be moving in with 3-4 other girls in the summer and as I’ve learned last year, there’s something really special about the relationships formed between housemates who value community. While my friends from home are still very dear to me, I do look forward to these new friendships and hope that the ones I made in college continue to fight distance.