Friendships Growing Apart

Some friendships have expiration dates. The person who was my best friend in grade school was not my best friend in high school. My best friend in high school was not my best friend in college. Distance, time, responsibilities, and changing interests forced these friendships to grow apart. When I look back on those who were once such a major part of my life, I tend to find myself filled with regret. I wish I had done more to keep them strong and thriving. I also know some of this is the natural cycle of life.

Some people are meant to stay in your life for a little while. In Eddie, I found my first real friend. Unathletic, adorned with glasses, lovers of Saturday morning cartoons, we shared enough interests to keep life interesting. Thanks to Eddie, the playground was a little less lonely and my life was a lot more exciting.

As we transitioned from grade school to middle and high school, Eddie and I became interested in different things. Our taste in music was not the same. Our social circles did not mirror each other. What we valued from school changed. Our friendship grew apart.

In Brian, I found an equal. I found a person with a sense of humor mirroring mine. Brian possessed a unique ability to begin an evening laughing his way through some Tom Green gag and then transition to talking about cloud-computing and black holes. I valued Brian’s…