Friendship

Now, maybe I am doing this whole friendship thing wrong.

I guess I always thought that people were who they were and we, as their friends, accepted that about them.

When people change in order to grow, adapt, and evolve, sometimes we as friends don't get to go along for that ride, for whatever reason. Sometimes we are only in each other's lives for a short time.

Sometimes we don't like what they grew, adapted, or evolved into. That shouldn't mean that it's a bad thing, nor should it mean that there is any reason to be hurtful or spiteful.

I would hope that if I'm ever in this position that I remember that at one point in time, I loved who that person was and miss them. I would hope that my words would be tempered by love and care instead of jealousy, anger, and resentment.

I hope that I remember that it just means that for this moment in time we are both following a different path that hopefully intersects again.

I would hope to be happy for a friend to find what they are looking for, searching for, seeking out. I hope that I would be proud that they are happy, healthy, strong, able, and willing to live life to it's fullest. I hope I am able to be joyous that I had the opportunity to have that person in my life.

I am proud of all of my friends. I am so thankful for each and every person that's touched my life in little ways or big ways. I hope that my friends know this.

I have grown, adapted, and evolved into the person you see today and even though I have changed, I've also never strayed from being true to myself.

Sometimes my road has had a couple of bends in it and maybe even some hills.

Know what I like best about them? There's always something new, exciting, and different, around the bends and over the hills. You can always find joy in the journey. Sometimes it's more difficult to find that joy and yet it's always worth looking.

Oh, and I don't know if you have ever read one of my favorite quotes:

"At eighty, I think what I shall regret are the things I always wanted to do and never did; the experiences I denied myself because I was too concerned about others' opinions, or too anxious for their approval; but I think I would regret most a life wasted living as someone who was not me."-anonymous

That's who I am, it's who I hope I'll always be.