Living in the In-Between
One of the biggest challenges before a relocation is simply this—being where my feet are.
One of the biggest struggles I always face with an upcoming relocation is staying present and being where my feet are.
When a move is looming, whether it’s one month or six months away, it’s easy to start emotionally checking out of your current life. I catch myself doing it more than I’d like to admit.
Why invest in friendships I’ll soon have to say goodbye to? Why deepen roots in a community I’m preparing to leave? It feels easier, safer even, to start pulling away.
But I’ve come to realize that’s not the way to do it.
Staying connected, being social, and showing up for the people around you still matters. In fact, it might matter more than ever. The strong friendships you build can carry with you from place to place. Some fade, yes. Not every friendship is meant to last forever. Some are for a season or a reason, and that’s okay.
That truth took me a long time to accept.
Over the years, I’ve watched friendships shift. I’ve seen a bridesmaid become a distant memory. And I’ve learned that getting older often brings a new lens: quality over quantity. Fewer, deeper connections. The ones who remain are the ones who matter most.
If you’re in a similar season of transition, here are five things I try to practice that helps be where my feet are and stay present even with change on the horizon:
1. Keep Showing Up
Even when it’s easier to stay home. Even when your heart feels like it’s already halfway packed. Keep saying yes to the playdates, the coffee invites, the neighborly chats. These small moments of connection matter more than you realize. They remind you that you’re still living here, still part of something, even as the ground starts to shift.
2. Soak It In
Pause long enough to notice the ordinary. The squeals of your kids playing in a yard that won’t be theirs much longer. The walk you’ve taken a hundred times. The way your kitchen looks in the mornings when the sun comes up. These are the things you’ll carry with you. Not just the big events, but the soft, everyday rhythms that made this place yours.
3. Stay Invested
Keep showing up in your friendships, even when the clock is ticking. Let people in. Let yourself be known. You don’t have to guard your heart just because goodbye is coming. Real connection is never wasted, even if it’s not forever.
4. Let Go of Guilt
Some friendships will fade—and that’s okay. That doesn’t make them any less meaningful. It just means their purpose was tied to a particular chapter. What matters is how they made you feel while they were here, not how long they lasted.
5. Practice Gratitude
Instead of bracing for what you’re losing, look at all you’ve gained. The people, the memories, the version of you that grew here. Let that gratitude soften the goodbye. Let it be the thing that steadies you as you move forward.
6. Stick to Routines
When everything feels uncertain, routines are a soft place to land. Keep the little rhythms that bring you comfort—morning walks, Friday pizza nights, bedtime stories. These simple, familiar things create a sense of normal for your kids and for you. They remind everyone that even in the middle of change, there’s still stability, still something to hold onto.
5. Visit Your Favorite Spots
Keep going to the places that make you smile. Your favorite coffee shop, the takeout spot you’ve ordered from a hundred times, the boutique where the owner knows your name, the park where your kids race ahead without looking back. The bakery with the cookies your kids beg for every time you drive by.
Don’t stop enjoying these places just because you know goodbye is coming. Let yourself linger. Order the latte. Take the walk. Sit on the bench a little longer. These are more than just places—they hold memories, routines, tiny pieces of your life here.
Keep showing up in those familiar spots, not as a way of saying goodbye, but as a way of fully honoring the time you’ve had. Let those last visits be filled with gratitude, not avoidance. Make space to remember what this season has given you, and let those memories walk with you into the next.
Relocation is hard. There’s no sugar-coating that. But there’s something beautiful about learning to live fully in the in-between. To make the most of now, even when the future is pulling you elsewhere.
So if you’re in a season of transition, let this be your reminder:
Stay rooted in today. Be where your feet are.