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Alun's avatar

Great post. I really do think we underestimate (I do certainly) how much friendships are situational and circumstantial. Ongoing connection requires shared experience and you kind of can't artificially create it.

You will have amazing work friends who you just lose touch with when you move job because the work was the shared experience, friends who have kids, don't have kids, move away, don't move away. These are all just journeys we go on and often our travel companions change and honestly that's both absolutely fine and really sad. But life is about change.

We can look back fondly on past journeys, share stories with those who shared them with us, but sometimes we have to accept that for this bit of the ride we are going to share that with someone else. And that's OK. That's good even. It's not zero sum, it all adds up to a greater total in the end.

Also I don't think you ever lose friends, you just lose that shared experience. And sometimes it comes back. But even if it doesn't the past never goes away, it's always there and so is the bond it created.

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Alex Coward's avatar

I love this - completely agree.

It’s interesting because there are friends I would refer to as “lost” because we no longer talk and I no longer feel like I can reach out to them.

And then there are friends (like Hel & Co) who I don’t necessarily talk to often, but whom I’d never hesitate to message no matter how long it had been.

I think you’re right around work friends - the shared experience just isn’t deep enough to maintain the connection outside of the situation.

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ARMAGEDDON IN PARADISE's avatar

Oh love. Death by a thousand cuts indeed. 🎯

I relate so much to the moving around bit, and the interchanging social circles. I love the dragon analogy as well. 🐉

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Debi Barr's avatar

Beautifully written ❤️

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Guna 🦋 Wild Midnights's avatar

So beautifully written ♥️ and so close to home

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Hannah Walker's avatar

Stunning 💜

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Melissa Amos's avatar

I love that you collected me 🤩

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Alex Coward's avatar

My precious!

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Melissa Amos's avatar

💎

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