You get invited to another Going Away party. You attend more of these than birthday parties, but you’ve become so numb to the whole notion of farewells these days because inevitably you’ll be doing it again in a few weeks time. You wonder if you’ve become desensitized to the word “goodbye.”

Then suddenly, when the night is coming to a close and you realize you’ll never see them again (well, at least in this city anyway), the sadness of their leaving hits you like a ton of bricks, followed by a fleeting moment of envy — out of nowhere you begin to fantasize how wonderful it would be to go back home again.

You wonder how much longer you can become attached before another good one leaves, turning your friendship into a long-distance one. You hope that communication won’t dwindle down to the occasional email or Facebook comment, but you know it will. Time zones are a bitch.

They tell you if you’re ever in their state, country or continent, you’ll have a place to stay. You tell them you’ll definitely visit one day. You mean it.