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I remember right before moving away from my hometown, things with my family were turbulent. In fact, things were so turbulent that I believed they were beyond repair. How will we ever forgive each other for the things we’ve said? I wondered. Will we ever overcome these HUGE differences and just enjoy a meal together? I worried. Things felt permanently damaged. But, in the middle of the turbulence, I had a move coming. I had graduated college and was moving to another city for a job. I figured, “I’ll handle this move, and refocus on that family drama when things calm down.” But, to my surprise, the drama just…vanished. For the most part. When I returned to visit my family, I couldn’t remember what we had been fighting about. I had my life. I had found my people. I was happy and busy and motivated. I was too happy to fight. And things had just…changed. If you have a wounded relationship with your family, here is why moving away from home could actually heal that.
Family errands don’t hinder your career
When I lived in town, I always felt like my career aspirations and my family’s needs were in a constant battle. I worked for the local paper at the time, and I wanted to pick up extra work and attend events the paper put on. But my parents would need me to stop by their house to walk their dog or make sure they’d locked the garage if they were on a trip. I had to make these micro decisions between my family and my career, and it made me resent my family. That just isn’t a factor when I don’t live there. Nobody can ask me to stop by and walk their dog when I live hundreds of miles away.
