Waving goodbye

One of my closest friends departs tomorrow at 0 dark hours for another state.

As I am slow to make friends, but strong and fierce to do so, this comes as a great heartache to me.

Sometimes I feel like all I do is say good bye the past few years - whether to comrades in arms - as we go our separate ways, or to friends moving on to parts of the country not so benighted as Illinois.

In the end, I chastise myself, as these people are not dead, exiled or such - they are going to their homes, new beginnings and opportunities.

But it doesn't make it any easier on me, for now....