Fearful all of a sudden to relocate
I (31/M) live in Washington, DC - work in foreign policy. Moved here in 2018 for grad school and ended up staying.
For years (literally since I was a little kid) I wanted to live in California.
I'm incredibly outdoorsy (big time rock climber and hiker) and moving out west has always allured me due to the plentiful outdoor opportunities that we just don't really have out east.
I've been wanting to leave DC for a while - I don't really fit in with the Type-A, live-to-work crowd. For me a salary is just a means for me to enjoy my passions in life. I'm gay and I'm not really fond of the gay scene here, either.
I was recently offered a job in Southern California that's triple my salary, has amazing benefits, and comes with a generous equity package. I'd be stupid to turn it down from a professional and financial perspective.
It's just that all of a sudden I feel kinda sad to the point where I don't want to leave. Over the past year and a half I really worked on myself and my friendships. There are some dear, dear friends of mine here that I truly care for and would be sad to leave.
I relocated with my parents from New York to North Carolina when I was 16 and had a really traumatic experience fitting in - I just keep having flashbacks to that.
Has anyone felt something similar?