I'm a terrible friend. I am guilty of becoming wrapped up in new stages in life and letting those who made me who I am drift away. There's no excuse and there's no good reason, just simply a promise to call or text tomorrow that turned into days and weeks and months and, in some cases, years. And at that point, it feels kind of silly to call or text and, because would I know what to say? Would they know what to say? Has too much time passed? Will they even recognize my number on the caller ID?
And, the truth is, I need those friends. I need to be reminded of the silly inside jokes from college, the tears shed in laughter and loneliness, and the comfort that comes from being with people who REALLY know you.
According to a segment I saw on The Today Show, I'm not alone. Apparently, after major events in life we tend to drift away from those who were closest to us. But it sucks. And once we've drifted, how do we drift back? Can we? Is it possible? Is it even an option? We're all in different stages of our lives...some of us are married...some of us have children...some of us are traveling the world, so how do we reconnect?
Usually in these blog posts I try to pose a question and wrestle with it until I think I've found a valid (or at least partially valid) answer. But I don't think I have one for this post. I don't have a blueprint for rekindling a friendship...because it's scary, isn't it? Because there are real emotions involved...feelings of regret and nostalgia and fear of rejection and fear of failure...and fear that it'll happen again. So maybe my answer is that there is no answer. That if it means enough to either party, they'll pick up the phone and take that first step and, hopefully, the days and weeks and months that have passed will melt away and the comfort of an old friend will take it's place.
