at what cost?

A few months ago a friend-turned-love-interest-turned-friend moved across the pond and has since been experiencing life in a whole new world, a long long way from home. He's always been somewhat of an unapologetic loner who seeks companionship only on his terms and tends to burn bridges rather easily.

He recently started a blog chronicling his new life. In his most recent post he talked about sacrifice and what it cost in for him to move to Europe in terms of both severed relationships and general headaches.

He talks about how you only get one chance at this thing called life and how you have to take oppurtunities as they arise, and if they don't come about on their own, you fight for them. I certainly agree with this to a certain extent - but I'm not sure that I would have made the same decision that he did.

Would I, in my mid-20s, move to Europe given the oppurtunity? Would I leave behind friends, a love interest, family, and my way of life to make my way in a new country? As cool and eye-opening as the experience would be, is there a point at which the oppurtunity cost in terms of life stability would become too great?

I feel so stangely ... grown up? domestic? (dull?)... when I think that I'm not in a place now where I would drop everything for some great adventure. Once upon a time I would have done it in a second. I would have had no problem leaving it all behind to go on some globe-trotting voyage of indefinite length. But now it seems rather unappealing ... right now I feel like the way to make the most of my life is to spend time with my friends and my family and my boyfriend and my dog. I spent a long time in my college years not wanting to feel attached to anything, wanting to feel like I could pave my own way. Was I happier then? I don't think so .... I think I was at a place in my life where I needed to feel a little rebellious and free but thats not where I am now. These days I find enormous happiness in the fact that everyone who is really important to me is less than 30 minutes away. And I'm not sure that now, at the riple old age of 26, I feel like I'd be willing to leave that all behind.

As for my friend, I have my own ideas on his motivation to leave, but I sincerely hope he remains happy with his decision, even if its not the one that I would have made at this point in my life.