Upon first look, Chicago seems to have everything a renter could ever dream of from bumping clubs to the Magnificent Mile to a diverse fest scene. It’s true that every day turns into its own adventure as soon as I leave my apartment, and, after six months of renting in this amazing city, I have yet to even scratch the surface of what it has to offer.
So, what could possibly be missing in this renter’s utopia? My friends and family. Making the move alone meant that I had to leave all of them at home and start a new life of my own. Yes, this was extremely difficult, but the hardest part of the past few months has been missing landmark events in their lives as I struggle to fit everything in.
This summer isn’t looking much better with three cousins and three good friends getting married while I help to organize my first class reunion, visit friends and fit in a multitude of other events. Needless to say, my planner is officially filled to the brim - think 27 Dresses.
Unfortunately, many of these events are happening consecutively or even at the same time forcing me to choose between them. Since I now have my own apartment away from home, my budget and time just can’t stretch quite far enough.
Missing out on all or part of these events has been difficult as I hear all of the great stories and memories they’ve made without me. It’s easy to forget when you no longer live next door that the lives of the people you care about continue on without you. Often missing these events has stung my heart with a feeling of missing out combined with the guilt of letting them down.
So, how do I cope with the regret of missing such big parts of their lives? I try my hardest to make the next one and remember that it goes both ways, and that they may hate missing parts of my new life in the city as well.
The truth of it is that renting my apartment away from home means that although it’s tough, missing some of these events is necessary. I’ve made a decision and with that decision comes both the positive and negative consequences. For those of you that have moved and are renting in a new city, what methods have you used to adjust to your new lifestyle and to cope with missing the ones you left behind?
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We miss you to Lindsey but know you are pursuing your dreams. We are always only a phone call, text or facebook message away.
Lots and lots of phone calls!