Reconnecting With An Old Friend: Is It Worth The Effort? Or A Waste Of Time?

During the course of your life naturally, you constantly connect with many different types of people; some for a reason, some short term and some permanently. The friends we make are there to teach us about how other people operate, they are our window to the world outside ourselves and our family life. The company we choose to surround ourselves with, introduce us to the diversity of human nature as well as teach us how difficult it can be to get along with certain characters. Though as we grow older, our lives transition rather quickly into the modern world, requiring us to adapt to the changes in society and so we can often lose track of old friends as we move into new circles and new cities that allow older relationships to die out. Of course, we outgrow certain people during specific periods of our lives, possibly from negative experiences, distance purposes, or simply those friends we once appreciated may not match our energy anymore, either way, there is nothing wrong with recycling out the old and moving forward in life for the right reasons. However, sometimes, you may wish to reconnect with those old friends you have lost contact with. Our life and our memories are very much defined by the people we are with, and so rekindling old connections can in fact bring you much satisfaction and peace in also reconnecting with your older self.

Last year summer, I experienced an intense breakup which I must admit was an extremely reflecting period. The cycle of emotions you go through following a breakup can be quite unexpected, feelings of denial, anger, resentment, emptiness, loneliness and sadness though, all of which are all completely normal. I still find myself revisiting some of these emotions at several moments but, you have to consider the fact that relationships can have a significant influence on us long after they’re over. In the beginning, I found it liberating to be free from a stressful situation and in some ways that made it easier for me to accept that the person that was once a really big part of my life is now a distant memory. However, the overall ending of the partnership, connection and ultimately friendship with my ex did source many feelings of sincere sadness. Although, I was lucky enough to have gone through my breakup with the support of my friends and through this period I had the opportunity to also reconnect with some of my old friends from years ago. I hadn’t realised how much I had needed all those individuals during that specific time in my life, but I am grateful for the chance to have reconnected with each relationship and to have repaired my old friendships. But, why now? you may ask, well from my own experience I believe it indeed took my breakup for me to truly self reflect and understand how detached I had become with the many people in my life but most importantly, how significant those connections are especially for my mental and emotional wellbeing. Getting back in touch with certain individuals gave me a whole new perspective, showing me how much our lives had changed and how much we had changed since the last we spoke. It was such a beautiful, exhilarating feeling to talk to these people again it introduced a wealth of memories and feelings from my past. I’ve often found that reaching out to people from my past brings about certain concerns like; if they’d remember me, or if they’d changed too much since I last spoke with them and this often prevented me from interacting with people from my past. However, I’m always positively surprised by their reactions, as they usually return positivity and are themselves very excited about reconnecting with me. The moral of the story, is that you can never quite determine how impactful a reconnection with an old friend will be, but how will you know unless you don’t try?

It’s truly fascinating to recognise how our roads diverge over time, placing those that were once close to us to opposite sides of the world. Each of us is the author of our own story and although many stories have comparable beginnings, the middle and the end will greatly differ. As individuals, we often solely rely on our own perspectives, paying attention to the way our personal narratives play out. Reconnecting with past friends will allow you to perceive the world in a new light. It will show you how funny and weird life can truly be. At one point, you were once a part of their lives and they a part of yours and that reconnection will remind you of the person you once were and allow you to better judge the person you have become. You see, life seems to grow more complicated and difficult with age and life’s daunting questions weigh heavier upon us year after year. Naturally, with all that goes on in the world, it’s easy to lose sight of ourselves, to lose sight of the goals we once had and the people we hoped to one day become. Either way, friends are a fundamental part of our lives and so there should be a reason for either letting some people go or choosing to keep them around.

Yours Truly Sasi