From One Family To Another

So a popular cliche is, you never realize what you have until it’s gone. This of course is true, but I like to think of it in a different way. You can never fully appreciate those around you until you’re on your own. My family will never be gone, they are always there for me, but I never fully appreciated them until I moved out to New York City for the summer. As my trip is now coming to a close I have finally grasped the meaning of family. Family members aren’t just those who share the same blood as I do, but those that take care of me and look out for my best interests. I used to always separate family and friends whenever I talked about them, but now I can easily say that my best friends are my family.

When I first came out to New York this summer I was ready to enjoy some free time and have my own space to do what I chose. If I would have spent the summer in Arizona I would have spent the days alone, just like I do out here in New York, but the difference is coming home at night. After a long day of running around the city going from casting to casting I make my way home and by that time I’d give anything just to see my little sister and parents. Normally when I came home in Arizona my little sister would be on the couch watching tv and I would say hello then I’d walk upstairs to see my parents working at their desks in the loft upstairs. I’d stand for a bit and chit chat about whatever I had done that day. Just the little things like that made such a difference that I didn’t even realize until now. I come home now to a small apartment without the usual greetings I would expect. I would never initially say that coming home to my family means the world to me, but now that I don’t have it, I really appreciate the fact that when I get home I will get to experience that again. So I’m not realizing something that is gone, my family will be there when I’m back, but I now will be able to appreciate so much more about them.

But while I was out here I made a new family. I met a group of people back in December while I was out here, and I stayed in touch a bit since then. The week that I flew out here they got ahold of me and we all started to hang out. We would go to dinners and go dancing afterwards, they showed me how to have an amazing time in a fabulous city. They’ve given me an experience that I will never forget, but they also cared for me. If I was ever in trouble or needed someone there for me, they were the ones that helped me out. I never thought I’d make such amazing friends while I was out here, but I was so incredibly wrong. I love them, and though I’m leaving to go back to Arizona I know that I will be back here in no time at all and can spend even more time with the new found additions to my family. With only four days left in New York City I’m going to cherish my last moments with my New York family, but when I’m back in Arizona I’m going to love and appreciate my best friends and family so much more than I ever have before.

My Arizona family,