Anyway, while we were talking about our classmates, I remarked how happy I was to see some of them still in touch with each other. They eat out regularly, and sometimes they meet up for coffee or a few drinks. However, I told my blockmate that I somehow felt sad for myself because I completely lost communication with our classmates. Some of them I even consider as my close college friends.

What struck me more though was what my blockmate replied and that it was a natural tendency for people to move forward as they go through the different phases of their lives. At times, people would choose to keep their existing circle of friends. Others would choose to just completely create a new set of friends and never even pause to say "hello" to their old buddies.

This brings to mind another similar story from a previous work. During my first job in a bank, I joined a completely new team; it was a newly set up department and there were four of us who were all fresh hires. Naturally, we hit it off right away. We were lunchmates, we sometimes went out on Friday nights after work, and we were always working hand-in-hand during company events that we were tasked to organize.

We became very close and we knew each others' personal lives, our dreams, and what we wanted to achieve in the future in our careers. However, after just two years, two of us in the team decided to look for other opportunities elsewhere because of our highly stressful bosses. In a few months, I joined another company. Just the same, we kept in touch regularly. We still went out, had dinner at times, and reminisced about our adventures at work. Our old friends met new people at work, became close with them, and even tried to "integrate" us into their circle.

Inevitably though, because of other priorities, I can feel that we were already moving on and flipping to the new chapters of our lives. I still tried to maintain that small circle and regularly established communication. When I got married, I invited them but only two were able to make it. Anyway, it finally hit me that things were not the same anymore when one of our friends got married. I was not invited (well, two of us were not) and I just found out about it on social media.

It hurt for a while; I have to be honest with that. Nevertheless, it's not for us to question such personal decisions. What we can do is accept that it's inevitable that people will come and go in our lives. Yes, it can be painful to see people go but it's a natural progression. We can choose to assume an optimistic outlook (no matter how hard that is) and be hopeful for what the future may bring to us.

In the end, let's cherish the people who are still with us; those who decided to stay. They have the choice to move on with their lives and cut us off but they are still here. They are more precious than the rarest gems on earth,

We should also be grateful for the people that we have in our lives right now – the important ones, at least. Always appreciate them for being present through thick and thin. Lastly, always be thankful to God for our friends and loved ones who are still alive and who continue to be a significant part of our lives. 

Please free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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