Recently, events in my life encouraged me to reflect on friendships: friendships that have come and gone over the years, friendships I maintain in the present moment, and friendships that lie somewhere in between these two spaces. I easily feel nostalgic toward the past and grateful for the present, but the middle ground fills me with a sense of melancholy.
In that middle ground, I observe the potential for loss as well as the opportunity to try harder to connect with people I care about. It’s unstable and vulnerable, and the idea of adding to the former friendships pile in my life, especially as I get older, makes me question if how I spend my days is how I should be spending them. But luckily, asking that question then creates room for alternatives and provides the motivation to act on them. It offers a reset button.
As the dust settles in other areas of my life that have demanded the bulk of my attention for quite some time now, the air clears for friendships of all kinds to move back into focus. I’m ready to prioritize spending time with friends I haven’t seen in months, take advantage of the slightly relaxed summer months, and make new memories that will help shift these friendships closer to the present instead of losing them in the past. And this reset fills me with much-needed hope.
Even when we try our hardest to maintain balance, one (or two) aspects of life inevitably take over. And that’s okay. It’s just then our responsibility to stop, take a breath, and reflect on the landscape of our lives every once in a while. If we see something we wish was different, it’s in our power to do something about it. While we can’t control the role others choose to play, we can always do our part to reconnect with what matters and watch the potential shifts occur. We can always choose to press that reset button.