To how many people have you said “we’ll always remain friends, no matter where we end up.” At the time, those words mean the world, but six months down the track, you seem to forget the context in which you said them.
After moving away from the town I went to high school in, I’ve discovered in the last year that it’s so easy to get caught up in what you’re doing and not talk to the people who once knew the most about you. Looking back, they don’t know nearly as much as those I live with now, and in another ten years, who knows who’ll be around me.
The people we were in high school are both the same people we are now, but also aren’t. I’m still me, but I’ve matured and changed and have new opinions, different morals, new experiences, different memories, new friends, different influences, new truths in my life. The list goes on. (Seriously, I could write a whole essay about how things have changed for me.)
It’s not that we stop caring about other people, it’s just that new things become priorities, and if you’re not actively seeing someone, it can be hard to keep a strong grip on them. And what used to be a common ground may not exist any more, or both parties may see it with different importance.
Some people are only around for a season, while others are there for many.
And so I’m learning the importance of keeping in contact with some and not with others; some people you don’t hear from for two years, but when you finally do, it’s like picking up where you left of, and it’s fine. Other times it’s more awkward and stilted, and you know fading away from them is easier than you originally expected.
Make an effort for those you care about,
Sarah xx
the softest words 