connections

I was watching a movie tonight and I heard a line that I will always remember. An old friend of mine said to me once, “We’ll always be friends.” It’s a concept that sometimes people think exists because of the memories and the thought that sometime later we can just pick right back up where we left off. Those words are really a line of crap.

Truly, we’ll always have the memories. Those are with us for awhile – at least until we repress them right? Being friends though is more than memories though; it’s about being connected in some way. I have friends who I haven’t seen in a long time, who I haven’t even had a chance to catch up with in awhile. I have friends who live hundreds of miles away. But there’s still a connection. There is still effort involved. Those people are my friends.

Those people who we knew and have moved on – those were our friends. We have lovely memories of them (or not) and we hope they are happy (or not). They are a part of us in they had a role in shaping who we are now. People come and go through our lives, and if we’re lucky there are a few who make it along for the ride for many years. We should cherish that. If we’re truly blessed we have precious few lifelong friends.

But I think I’ve finally learned to accept that sometimes when people go, they go away for good. And we move on. And it’s good.