I'm finding it pretty ironic lately that I wrote a novel about a girl who can't wait to get away from her hometown.
Especially since the hometown in said novel - despite the made-up name - basically *is* the town I've lived in for a good chunk of my life. I always thought that, like my main character, Kelsey, I'd jump at the chance to move somewhere more glamorous, someplace a little further from my roots.
Until the opportunity hit. Like a freaking tidal wave.
My husband's company announced last month that they're closing their corporate office in Connecticut and relocating to Georgia.
We knew it was a possibility though, granted, we didn't expect it to happen this soon. I'd always told my husband that if he was offered a position in Georgia, I'd move without question.
I was wrong.
The realization of how alone I will be has been hitting me like a hail storm. My entire family is here, and I'll be down there. By myself. Working from home while my husband goes to the office every day. Granted, I will probably get a ton of writing done this way but...
I can't watch movies with my sister anymore
When my whole family is gathered at my grandmother's house every Sunday for lunch, I won't be there
My little nieces and nephews will barely know me
If I finally have a child, no one from my family will be there to watch him or her grow up. Or help me.
I will literally be ALL. ALONE.
When I wrote LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE, I wrote it with my high school mentality that change was awesome (and yes, it can be). It's escape. It's a new chance, a new start, especially if circumstances haven't been the greatest. And honestly, if I'd been presented with this opportunity when *I* was in high school, I would've jumped just as quickly as Kelsey did.
But while I know this move could be a fantastic thing for myself and my husband, I can't help but marvel at how my adult worries and fears have made my reality so much different from my young adult fantasies.
Funny how things change in the real world, eh?
Have you ever found yourself facing a situation similar to one you'd written? Would you make the same decision as your character? And for the love, can anyone out there tell me some relocation stories with happy endings?
