I really needed to read this right now. A few weeks ago, I received news that a friend from college had passed on. It hit me hard. I kept reading, and re-reading our last messages to one another, and kicked myself for not putting more energy into keeping up the correspondence, because now I'll never get another chance again.
While this was on a different level from other relationships that have faded away, it made me think about those ones as well, especially pertaining to work. A few companies ago, I was at a rocket ship of a startup and had some friendships that were as intimate and fun as any that I had since college. I sorely missed losing out on that camaraderie. I knew that professionally, it was the time to move on. But, it didn't make it any easier to leave the friends I had there behind. And it hurt to see folks that I thought I'd retain as close friends not end up that way after I left.
Luckily, after there (as with previous companies), I really lucked out and still managed to retain a couple friendships that I remain grateful for, now more than ever. I now realize this is just the way it is. I felt the same way at the end of college, and at the end of every job I've had. Sometimes, I need a reminder that it's okay for the friendships I've had to be in the past. It doesn't mean there was anything wrong with them. If they were going to hold place in the present rather than the past, then it would be that way. But that they are not does not mean they need to be critiqued, or analyzed, or critiqued. Perhaps, as you remind me, they just need to be thought of, reminisced of, and cherished and appreciated for what they were.
Thank you.