– Peyton Sawyer, One Tree Hill

People are shaped by everything around them. They become who they are because of the experiences they’ve had and the people they meet. But of the people they meet, only a very tiny few will be with them for most of their life. Family, a significant other, a few close friends. What about the other 99.9% of people? Well, they all carry on with their own lives. They walk a different road than you. You cross paths. Or you don’t.

What I’m really trying to get at is that there are some people who make a significant difference in your life for a time. Some people you’re incredibly close with or feel a connection with. But even these people come and go. You only walk the same path for a while.

I’ve been thinking about some of the treasured friends in my life and how they are not in my life anymore. Not because of a falling out, not because they’ve passed on, but simply because you no longer walk the same path as them. Despite even trying to keep in touch, your paths get further and further. It gets harder and harder. Even if you do manage to connect for a brief moment, the lives you had together are long gone. The bond you had, never to be recaptured again. Things change.

I’ve been thinking about the people in my life right now who, sad to say, won’t be in my life forever. Not even very long really, despite being such a significant part of my life right now. I can use my time with them the best I can. But it won’t be enough. I wish that I could walk with them longer on the path they take. I wish they could walk with me. But that won’t happen. Things will change. Our paths will diverge. This is life. People always leave.