With a new year comes new adventures, new dreams, new goals. Although I am not a believer in making a list of resolutions, I do have some tangible goals in mind, and it drives me to accomplish and achieve them… which means, moving forward.
Which we all do. We all move forward, and it’s good and healthy. But, in our quest to move forward personally, our friendships and relationships will inevitably change and adapt around us.
And maybe that’s why this week, I was incredibly sentimental and nostalgic about the past.
My dear friend Jen got engaged last week, so it was time to celebrate… for many reasons! We had initially planned to get together for her birthday as well as the holidays, but with her newfound engagement, we had another reason to rejoice. It was so great to catch up and reminisce, and I’m so happy for her, because she is marrying a wonderful guy and the right person for her.
But it also made me realize that once upon a time, we were thick as thieves. We used to have daily conversations and, no joke, pretty much hung out every single day – dinners every night, lazy beach days or bar and club-hopping on weekends. She was my bestie and I will always treasure our adventures and laughs.
Now, fast forward to last week and we both found it incredulous that the last time we saw each other was March (for my birthday) and now here we were again for her birthday, but 9 months later!
But that’s what happens when we move forward. Since both of us each have personal priorities and our boyfriends (and in Jen’s case, her new fiance), we just don’t spend as much time together as we once did. I also left our mutual workplace in pursuit of a promising career goal, so I don’t see her on a daily basis, either. We have both moved forward.
Over the holidays, I also got to see my two best friends from high school. Again, we were the best of friends in high school, but we all went to three separate colleges and now all live in 3 different states. Now, the only time we see each other is a few hours over one evening during the holidays. We, too, have all moved forward.
I know it’s part of life and we cannot make time stand still. Of course, the friendships are still intact but they will never be the same. We must all pursue our own personal goals to become the best version of ourselves. For all the good and bad, that means not holding back, but moving forward.
No Ugly Duckling 