distancing friends

Our recent trip to Malaysia over the Chinese New Year period meant reunions with friends and family. My wife was raised in Malaysia and still has many friends who she keeps in touch with. I tagged along with her to many of these reunions and discovered a phenomenon that also exists in my circle of friends on visits back to NY. It seems that our homecoming was a reason important enough to get a group of friends together, but without such an occasion people don't find the time to gather anymore. I had friends tell me that the previous time that they had a group gathering was the last time we were back. Its a shame, but I think its just a reality that exists in us.

It seems as we go through life, there are bonds that tie us together with our friends. However these bonds don't seem to stand the test of time especially when people start to evolve as they age. At one time perhaps it was school that tie some of us together, then it become work colleagues and friends of significant others. It then could become parents of your children's friends.

That being said, when I heard about a classmate in need that I no longer stay in touch with, somehow I still tried to lend support in some way. I guess these bonds never really break, perhaps they just become dormant for a while.