When The People We Know Become The People We Knew

It’s the oldest story in the book. You grow up knowing these people, your friends, your classmates and you think you know them pretty well. Then one day, you realize some of the people you know are suddenly the people you once knew. You no longer live in the same small town, crossing paths like you used to. The people you see everyday aren’t those you grew up with. You lose sight of these people and that’s just life.

Those people who choose to make an effort in your life are the ones who stay. Distance should never be a barrier. This is why we have social media, to stay updated on our friend’s lives even if they’re no longer our next-door neighbors. This is why communication is so much easier because when you want to reconnect with these people you can send them a simple text message asking how they are. There’s really no excuse because we’re all guilty of having our phones on us at all times.

Sure people grow apart and that’s life, but we’re the ones who allow that to happen. Think of it this way, friendship is a two way street. You both have to make the effort in order to stay friends. If only one person is going out of their way and the other does not reciprocate then that person has no right to complain about how they grew apart. They’re the ones who let it happen. Of course everyone is busy living their own lives, so that doesn’t mean you have to talk to the people who you want to stay connected with everyday. It simply means that if you talk every now and then, it shouldn’t matter how far apart you are because the next time you see that person it’ll feel like you never left each other.

You see this a lot once you go to college when people drift apart from those they used to talk to everyday. It’s ok to talk to people from home; you don’t have to shut out everyone just because you’re living a different life than you once were. You can’t expect people to go out of their way to keep in touch with you if you don’t do the same. That’s just not fair. If you don’t want to keep in touch with anyone then that’s your own choice. That’s how the people you know become the people you knew.

I’m just a student at St. John Fisher College who loves writing and chocolate chip cookies.

View all articles by

You Might Also Like