"Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young."
I feel very lucky to have friends from many eras of my life. This past weekend I spent with my best friend from graduate school. My life has stayed relatively the same. I still live in the same general area, my family is close, my friends are still the same, I still do the same activities. But her life has radically changed - probably for the better. She moved across the country, she has new friends, this is her first time being an "adult" (and by that I mean she has a job, rather than going to school) and she lives far from her family.
Although she is seven years younger than me, somehow she is a grown up. They go to dinner parties with elaborate menus. They have a couples/work softball team. Most of the discussions revolve around gardening, couple activities, home decorating, and their dogs (predecessors to future children). It was all very strange because nearly every person was younger than me - but the content of their lives was so radically different.
I'm not sure what I want. On one hand, I want to do those grown up things. I finally realized a few months ago, that I'm ready to come to the same person. In no way do I want to give up my independence, but I'm more willing to bend and I want to make someone else happy - rather than just myself. But I never want to lose the "fun" part of being a kid/teenager. I never want to stop giggling when we pass the sign that says "Cumming" on the freeway.
As important as it is to hang on to the people from your past, it is also important to remember that those people are changing and thus your relationship will also change. Some people may need to be let go because your lives don't mesh anymore; but I think those cases are rare.
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