Old Friend

Just looking back at old, lost friendships. One in particular that bothers me. There was never a moment where "See you later" was said and where we knew it wasn't true. Never a moment of disagreement between us that was left to boil and fester and cause an unresolved split and parting. Just a week without contact turned into a month and then several months into a year and before I realized it, several years. And now I often find myself wondering why?

Maybe on my end it had something to do with increased responsibilities and obligations at work and a self imposed feeling of always needing to be there? It's been years now since I've 'called in sick' or taken a day off on a sudden whim to do something enjoyable with an old friend. Maybe I just became tired and lazy? I know that he remarried, though I didn't know it until after-the-fact .... Maybe that had a role in how things worked out? Politically speaking, we would rarely speak about our beliefs but I realized one day that he was much more conservative than I. But as far as I recall that was always put aside and never caused difficulties.

Hell the only moment of difficulty between us that I can remember was an instance during an adult recreational basketball game where I was attempting to calm him down before he talked himself into getting a technical foul from the referee and he suddenly turned on me and told me to back off ....  That accounts for about fifteen minutes of mutual silence and avoidance from twenty-plus years of great friendship.

One thing that I've come to realize is true and it may sound overly simplistic but it's really not ..... Friendships of youth and college days often simply fade away as people grow older. Especially as they enter their forty's and fifties. What once drew you together often ends with fading physical abilities or changing interests.

But considering everything it's difficult to accept that any of the known history (or at least the recalled history) would cause a total parting of ways with not even a phone call or email contact since.

There was never an intent to part ways, it just happened. I now find that sad.