Reverb13 day 9 prompt: Surprise

It took me until the end of 2013 to get this, but I'm surprised at the amount of love and support I actually have here in Seattle.

Part of what tipped my decision in favor of moving was that I felt like I was lacking a sense of connection and support I wanted from the people in my life. Over the past several years, I've felt more and more isolated from my friends and have yearned for a sense of community. Some of that is due to getting older and no longer feeling invincible--I need to know that if something happens to me, someone's got my back. And I wasn't feeling that. Of course, I know that there are folks I can call, and have. But there was something missing, and I decided to go where I knew I had that support, to my family.

But now that my time in Seattle is coming to a close, people have been reaching out. It's going to sound awful, but I didn't think that I mattered. I'm touched, and yes, surprised and even a little chastened. I have been reaching out more as well, and in doing so I've seen what might have been possible in terms of developing the wonderful friendships I have, and forging new ones. Well, who knows what the future holds, and just because I'm not living here doesn't mean I can't find a way to nurture these relationships. I value my friends here deeply, and there's definitely a lesson here about reaching out and not giving up. Relationships need nurturing, which takes effort, especially for an introvert like me. But it's so, so worth it. I need to get better at this.