friends and acquaintances.

Friends. One little word, one huge impact on your life. Good friends, bad friends, best friends. Old friends, new friends, long distance friends. Family friends, work friends, school friends. They shape who you are, what you do, and how you feel. They can brighten your day, or be the reason you’re down. They can be true and stick around for the long haul, or they can fade away and turn into mere acquaintances. For me, this is the year of 21^st’s and that makes you think about the friends in your life, even the ones who have turned into acquaintances.

These acquaintances are the people you run into at the shops with nothing but a smile before they continue leading the life you’re no longer a part of. You dance in the same room as them at other 21^st’‘s and wonder if they’d even come to yours if you invited them. You see their status pop up on your Facebook wall and realize if it weren’t for this social network site, you’d have no idea what they’re doing with themselves these days. You, who used to be so close to them, who used to talk to them every day and share everything with them, are nothing but a distant memory.

Sometimes I think about the people I used to be this close with. The people I used to class as my best friends, whom I no longer see. I remember phone calls we had, jokes we made, time we spent together and I wonder if they ever think the same. Do they remember we used to be there for each other no matter what? Do they even resemble that same person today? Would I still want to be friends with them if I could?

After a while, these questions no longer matter. We realize that if they don’t love us enough to stick around, maybe they never loved us at all. Maybe we’re better off without them. Of course (unless they betrayed us in ways involving the stealing of a partner, the spreading of a terrible rumour, or other such life altering actions) of this we can never be sure. The ‘maybe’ will always hang over these statements. And that’s why, maybe, the best thing to do is simply look back with fond memories of the friendship you once shared and look forward with great anticipation of the future friendships you could experience.