What do you do when someone is leaving for somewhere far away? How can you encourage your relationship to survive the distance? If you want to encourage keeping in touch, you can give...
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY
We live in a city with military base: people come and go often. When a classmate of my daughter was preparing for a move across the country and sad about missing her friends, I was able to get the teacher to help with a going-away present: the teacher took a picture of the class, emailed it to me so I could print it, and I put it in a wooden frame found cheap at a second-hand store so the class could sign it.
Pictures and cards are good mementos, and easy to pack. For someone you're especially close to, you might be able to make or find something to recall a special time you had together, or a joke you share.
As long as it's not too difficult to pack, maybe you can send along something your area is known for: specialty foods (that won't spoil before they can be used), artwork (that will stay intact), plants (that aren't invasive), or other memories of a former home.
HELP FOR THE JOURNEY
The person who's leaving likely has a long way to go, be it by plane, train, car, boat, or some combination. Money or gift cards for gas, food, and lodging along the way are sure to be helpful. You could make a playlist of songs that are important to the two of you, or buy or make activity books keep the recipient (or the recipient's travel companions, especially young ones) occupied. If the trip includes travel to a foreign country, your recipient might like foreign currency or maybe a handmade or storebought pouch to hold a passport and other travel documents.
WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME
Do you know your recipient's new address, and can you time mail to be there on moving-in day? If not then, maybe a week later--perhaps with gift cards to local places or guides to the new area. Many cities are willing to mail brochures from the chamber of commerce, and companies like AAA are also a wealth of information on where to get started in new places. For foreign countries, a bit of cash in the local currency can be very helpful; you can get this at most banks (although it can take up to a few weeks).
Not everyone will want to advertise that they're new in town, so don't go signing people up for welcome services or registering them at local clubs. Instead, give your recipient the information and leave the decision to the one who will be affected by it.
STAYING IN TOUCH
Don't let "out of sight, out of mind" be true. If you see something that reminds you of the person who moved away, text a quick picture. If an annual event you used to attend together rolls around, maybe send a souvenir or postcard of it.
You can make it easy for your far-flung recipient to stay in touch, too. When another classmate moved away, my daughter's class sent her off with a stack of stamped cards addressed to their classroom (and a few blank ones) so she was able to write to them from time to time.
Moving far away is a big step, and you want to make it easy on those who undertake it while letting them know that distance is something easily overcome by friendship.
No comments:
Post a Comment