Out With The Old...

There comes a time in most everyone's life when they realize that a friend just doesn't feel like a friend anymore. It's such an unsettling feeling because for so long they may have been a buddy, a "party" partner, even a confidante, yet now it seems as though you see them in a different light. Perhaps they seem a little colder, snyde remarks slip out from time to time, and you just don't feel the desire to confide in them anymore. Why, you wonder?

Recently, that feeling came over me. I've only had it one other time in my life and that was about 10 years ago. And what I realized is that I was beginning to not like that individual any more. They seemed to be different, and quite honestly, I didn't like who I was seeing. It was difficult because I had been friends with this individual since I was 4 years old! I realized however that I didn't like her anymore. I believe the reason is that we simply grew apart. As I grew, I became one person and she became another and that person isn't someone I would ever choose to be around. So, there we were! Hanging out at the crossroads of our friendship.

Last week that same feeling came over me with a different person, and I recognized it right away. I don't need to think about what it means. I know. I'm growing apart from that person and I don't like who they are now. I could hang around and pretend for a while, but why? I think the hardest thing is that we have history and have been through so much, but life harvests the good and gives us signs when it's time to weed out those that aren't helping us flourish. I feel as though I'm approaching that same crossroads again,...right there at the end of Friendship Blvd, and you know what...I'm okay with it.

Just like a garden, we have to cultivate what we want to grow. That person's great, but just doesn't fit into my garden anymore. It's a part of life's cycle and when it's right, there is no sadness. That person will grow in someone else's garden and no doubt...flourish.