And so it goes and goes and goes...

Life is all about changes.
We grow up. We grow old. The world turns. Things wear out, get replaced...get forgotten.

We have little control over the changes that affect our lives and the lives of those around us. We're just here for the ride. Sometimes, though, that ride takes a detour or two.

One thing I've learned--and maybe one of the few things that won't "change" for me--is, just because something is changing, doesn't mean we have to be happy about it. In fact, nowhere does it say we have to be happy about anything.

So, we can scream, cry, rail against the injustices of the world, pout, but, that will do nothing to stop whatever change is going on. If anything, it'll just wear us out so the change can progress with very little interruption from us worn-out souls.

Of course, conversely, a lot of good can come from change. There's a freshness, a newness, a bright something that wasn't there before---

And, it's trying to find this "good" that can make the change we're fighting to accept a bitter-sweet pill---one that gets stuck in our throat, choking out our tears even as it tastes faintly of chocolate.

~~~~

The bookstore where I've worked for the last 13 and a half years is relocating.
This is good.
The building we've had for 20+ years is showing its age. Things don't work like they should---like the ceiling and the plumbing.

The building we are moving to is brand new, like literally. It's still being built as I type this.
This is also good.
We won't have the same issues that have made working in our old building depressing at times. Everything will be shiny and fresh.

The new building we will soon call bookstore-home is in a completely different city, a 30-minute drive from our current location.
This isn't so good.
This is that choking, bitter part of the pill.

Though we're part of a large-chain company, our particular store has an "Indie" feel. We've all been part of the same team for years. Even when we hire someone new, they get acclimated/assimilated very quickly and it feels as if they've always been there. There is a magic about our store, and it has very little to do with Harry Potter---though, it's not for want of trying. We've all been waiting patiently for our Hogwart's letters....

No, the magic we have is the people. We have a HUGE number of regulars. There are people I've seen in this store, nearly every day, since I got hired. I've watched people's children grow up. I've mourned for those that have passed. We've all become an important part of each other's lives.

This move feels like we're tearing out the very soul of our small community. And, being part of that large-chain company means we have no say, no choice in the matter. But---and this is a biggie---at least we aren't closing.

Really, there shouldn't be that big an emotional impact---but, we've watched our customers, our friends, walk away in tears. Especially the daily friends that come for a chat, a coffee, and a chance to connect with a fellow bibliophile.

Some of our friends will follow us. Many of them already live in the city we're moving to, they just make the drive to our store because they want to see us, they are our family.
The ones we leave behind, because they can't travel (many live in walking distance of our current store), these are the ones that are leaving great holes in our hearts.

I know we'll make new friends, have new regulars, at our shiny, new store. But, it definitely won't be the same. It will be a change that we have to deal with, a change we can't control, a change that it won't do us any good to fuss and cry about--at least, not any more than we already will.