Okay so lately I’ve been feeling kinda low, you know? My best buddy from college just moved across the country for this big job offer. Really happy for him, obviously, but man, it hit me hard. Our weekend movie nights and just grabbing a cheap beer after work? Gone. Felt like a rug got pulled out. Started sulking a bit, ngl. Just wasn’t feeling like myself. Felt lonely and honestly, a bit adrift.
Instead of just stewing in it, I decided I needed a plan. Not a giant life overhaul, but something actionable. I remembered someone once said quotes can help reframe things. So I grabbed my laptop, sat down at the kitchen table – half-eaten toast still there – and opened a blank doc. Step one? I just started typing out exactly how I felt. No filter. Things like:
- Really miss his stupid jokes.
- Feels weird celebrating small wins without him knowing first.
- Annoyed the weekly coffee run vanished.
- Scared the friendship will fade.
Seeing it all written down like that… wow. Made the mess in my head clearer. Less overwhelming somehow.
Hunting Down Some Perspective
Next part was searching for quotes about change. Didn’t need deep philosophy, just something practical that might hit different. I spent maybe an hour jumping between a few sites and old notes I had. Some stuff was way too fluffy. Others felt like a slap in the face. But then, I started copying bits that actually made me pause:
- “Change is the only constant. Might as well learn to surf.” (First reaction: Ugh, easy to say. But… surfing? Kinda cool visual.)
- “Not everything meant to stay changes shape, not everything that changes is meant to stay.” (This one stung initially. But it felt honest.)
- “It’s okay to mourn what was lost while making room for what’s next.” (Okay, this. Permission to feel sad AND hopeful? Needed that.)
I printed these three out. Small font. Put one on my desk lamp, stuck another on the fridge next to a dumb cat magnet, slipped the third into my wallet.
Actually Trying It Out
Here’s where the practice kicked in. Next time I started feeling that familiar funk creep in – maybe scrolling through old pics or noticing his empty chair at our regular pizza place – I forced myself to actually look at one of those quotes. Seriously. Just take ten seconds.
Staring at the “surf the change” one on my desk:
- Old thought: “Everything sucks now.”
- After rereading: “Okay, this situation is just… water now. How do I paddle?” Made me actually call another friend for coffee later that week. Small step.
Seeing the “mourn and make room” one on the fridge while grabbing a soda:
- Old feeling: Sadness bubble rising.
- New feeling: Allowed myself a minute to just feel that sadness (“Yep, this sucks”), then thought about the “making room” part. Texted him asking about his new hiking trails. Kept the connection flowing.
Where I’m At Now
It’s not magic. Things still feel different, and honestly, probably always will. But those little slips of paper? They act like tiny mental speed bumps. They don’t erase the change, but they force me to pause my usual gloomy spiral and nudge my thoughts in a slightly different direction. A bit less helpless, a bit more accepting. I’m trying to see the change less as a void and more as… just new terrain to navigate. Still miss the old hangouts, but working on building new rhythms. Found a great quote the other day about connection evolving, not disappearing. Might need to print that one next.
