In a world of ever changing lifestyles, jobs, locations, and so much more, it is inevitable that not all friendships are going to stand the test of time and go the distance. I cannot even remember the names of some of the people that, at one point in my life, I considered friends or how/why the relationship took a turn down separate paths. Sometimes there really is no set event or encounter that causes a friendship to evolve or dissolve. Other times it's very clear why things took a turn.
Either way, I believe it is completely natural for this to happen. We don't leave this world with every person we ever called a friend by our bedside holding our hand. There's a reason for that. We aren't meant to! There's a bit done by Tyler Perry that explains it so well. Friends are equated to leaves, branches, and roots. It's explained in a caring and easy to accept kind of way. I, myself, can remember a few friends who I used to spend every singe day with. We never went a day without talking and I thought, at the time, they would always be like this in my life. However, some of those friends have grown in other directions, some have dropped me with no explanation, and one even told me to never bother speaking to her again. Did that all hurt? Yes, but I got over it. Letting those friendships go opened more time and energy for me to develop new friendships, some of which mean more to me than any of those ever did.
Had I spent time and energy trying to hang on to a friendship that was obviously over, I would have missed that opportunity to meet someone new! In a conversation several years after the falling out I had with one of those dear friends, I made a comment about how it was strange how our friendship wasn't as close as it once had been. She simply replied..."We don't need it to be." How very true. While we would never have back the same type of relationship, we were still friends in a way that we needed each other to be at this time. That was probably the most comforting thought ever! We had been able to fight, grow, and age, taking a break from each other, and coming back still caring for one another. It was just facilitated in a very different way than originally.
So in the end, I think there are always going to be a lot of people we call friends in a lifetime. However, like the seasons change, so do our relationships and that is just fine. Let go of the ones when you see it's time for them to go. Continue to be kind, and friendly. Just turn your focus on those who may be the ones to go the long haul.
Webster defines friend as: a favored companion. It's unrealistic to think you can be everyone's favorite!
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