These feelings are frequent the more you travel. They may disappear when you've settled into a new place, but they will always return when you pack up and leave. Whether it was one week or one year, leaving people and places with the hopeful "see you later" can be difficult, but we can take something greater from those moments.
Why do we look back and insist that time flew by faster than it "should have"? It's a rather sad thought, isn't it? With as much traveling and moving as we do in today's world, should we continuously look back on all of these periods of time and act like they went by too fast? The thing is, technically time passes by at the same speed no matter where you are on Earth and no matter who you're with. It doesn't pass by fast or slow, it just simply passes. So what happens while time is ticking away?
Emotional connections. They completely change our perception of this concrete concept of time. When you enjoy what you're doing and who you're doing it with, time really does fly. When you join a new team, start a new job, or travel to a different country, you create these connections. You settle in and uncomfortability becomes familiarity. But change is inevitable, and at some point we will move on. We should accept this constant change. It is easy to stay in the same place; it is comfortable and it is familiar - but it is not conducive to personal growth.
Personal growth happens when you step outside of your comfort zone. So say your temporary goodbye's and throw yourself into a new setting. Learn a new language, study a different culture, and make new connections. We must not let comfortability with the status quo win and truthfully, become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Immerse, connect, and grow. One day when the time has come to move on, you may look back and wish it wasn't over but you will have the experience, knowledge, and confidence to lead you to your next great endeavor.
