Friends

I've been thinking a lot lately about the past & the people we leave there. Some of my favorite people on the planet are in my past. I haven't seen them in months, sometimes years. But they are still my favorite people & I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the phone or e-mail & reconnect. And I do.

Sometimes connections, however strong they may be at first, fade into forgotten. While others sustain or strengthen over distance & time. Why is that? What makes the difference? Is it the initial power of the connection or simply the level of effort & importance we instill in that relationship once the other is out of sight?

I like to think that when people meet its not "luck", it's because our life requires them at that moment. And if that connection maintains its not because we make it so but because the kinship was fated before we were even a dream.

I look back at my life so far & the relationships I've formed, even the not so good ones, & I can honestly say that I needed each & every one of them. I've walked away, or not, from each one a new person. Having laughed at a new joke, been hurt in a new way, or just seen myself through their eyes. In all this & more I am changed.
If I could thank every person I have ever meet, I would. But thats not possible, so I'll be kind to the ones around me now, treasure my friends til the end & hope that is enough.