Browsing through Facebook and LinkedIn I can see people from my past and I suppose I could drop them a message and see how they are but I don't and neither do they drop me a line. I have very few close friends and that's probably to do with whether these people are 'true' friends or acquaintances, work colleagues or some other connection. I've been disappointed it would be fair to say and people are net users of my time and my generosity of character and of my money too. Sure I'd help out someone in time of need but the problem is that they are very forgetful, perhaps they have some sort of dementia and any obligation once they've gotten back onto their feet again soon evaporates and disappears.
So it was this morning that I remembered someone who I was close to - we hung around together and we used to spend time with each other, I'd help out and we'd often meet in London, Glasgow and so on and then he moved away and whilst I stayed in contact for a while, it faded into the distance. Last Christmas I send a card and this time didn't receive one back. That seems to be the way it goes and having said that I will be seeing an old colleague next month which will be great, he lives way down towards the coast and lives in a lovely village where he is now integrated into the community and I have to say his location is idyllic and he has all those sorts of things you'd want a lovely old house, a lot of land, the village pub and church are withing a minutes walk. It will be nice to meet up again, we worked together in Wiltshire, Bedfordshire and quite a bit in London too.
But as I look back I see this drift in and out, this coming and going of these relationships and it is strange how that happens. One day you are hardly out of each other's pockets and then, for whatever reason, you never see them again. I recall starting a new job some distance away and being right in the thick of it trying to establish myself and sort out the various offices I was in charge of and my life was erased, I only met one or two of those old colleagues from my previous life (for I had changed career from Electrical Engineering to full on IT and Software development, global change and so on). It took me around Europe and the UK.
There are a couple of people that I'd like to have kept in touch with but it was too late to track them down. For two or three years I'd worked with this great lady and we'd travelled around together and regularly travelled home together and so that was a bit of a regret I suppose.
Anyway, it was just this life journey and these short or long interactions and unbeknown to you, one day you are great friends or work colleagues and then you never see or hear from them again, the drift sets in and you each continue on your own journey.