Changing Tides

Okay I haven't posted in about a month. The reason being I was extremely busy getting things ready for France and then I was on holliers in Italy! So here I find myself sitting in a guest house (my actual house doesn't have electricity) in France. Where did the summer go eh? I was thinking the other day before we left Ireland how different I thought my life would be now. It's really amazing how your life can change in such a short space of time. I know for a fact that my life is far far different than it was this time last year. It's exciting and scary all at the same time, I think that applies to everything though. It's the uncertainty that scares us all a little bit. Don't deny it now just because you want to seem hardy or whatever, there's always that small part of us that would like to know how our future is going to pan out because lets face it, the dynamic of our lives changes each and every day. I mean if you think about it, really think about it, there are so many questions you could ask yourself that truly demonstrate the unpredictability of life. That person you swore you were going to marry one day? How often do you talk to them now? Maybe a lot, maybe not so much. But it's not the same right? What about that best friend that you had plans to travel the world with? I bet you only talk once or twice a year now. The classmates you once knew at school? You only catch up with most of them when you bump into them on the town or on nights out. Am I right? What did you always dream of becoming when you were little? Bet your aspirations have changed a great deal now, unless you're that small percentage that has had the same dream since they were five. All of these are pretty reasonable questions. They may seem harsh but they're not really. I guess it's just the way life goes. I mean, it's natural to lose contact with people as life goes on. And maybe it's lack of effort on your part or theirs, or both but it just happens. See, this was one of the fears I had about going on a year abroad, that I would lose a lot of people who are very close to me without either parties noticing it. But then I realised that if I make the effort with everybody that's not going to happen.

I mean of course I've lost contact with a lot of people over the years, not because we wanted it to happen, but because our lives were heading in different directions. It doesn't mean I don't still care, because I always care a great deal about people who have played a significant part in my life, it just means that we were at different wavelengths and grew apart.  Yes, it can be sad but if that's what was destined for us, so be it. Think about it a little. If you had kept in constant contact with every single person you once knew how would you ever fit new people into your life. No each person is the same. And that's what's so exciting about meeting new people. A breath of fresh air is what I like to call it. You'll always have the memories of times shared with previous friends and whatnot but it's also great to make new memories with new people. Just because you may not talk with them every day like you used to does not mean that you don't have a bond anymore. If anything it really shows who your true friends are. The ones who send the odd text or Facebook message, or the ones who'll stop to have a conversation on the street with you and it'll be like you never stopped talking in the first place, these are the people that will always be your friend, no matter how long you don't speak for, or if you both live in different parts of the world, or even if you don't see each other for a long time, they'll always be there. These are the ones to cherish.

This is what I've learned in the last few weeks, that you'll always have friends. No matter where you are or what you're doing they'll always be there. I mean you can never forget the memories you made with great people right? Make the effort to keep in contact with people, it doesn't have to be everyday or even every week, just as long as they know you're still there they'll be there. Life changes far to fast for any of us to take for granted the good people, don't let yourself down by ignoring the true ones while trying to impress the fake ones. The loss outweighs the gain, trust me.