Friend - hopefully not - foe

People are victims of time. We deny, ignore, delay, and plead against its passing [to no avail]. The funny thing is that no matter how quickly time moves forward, people change even quicker. Homo sapiens are a fickle, fickle bunch. Nothing is safe. Not our beliefs, interests, or relationships.

True, long-lasting friendships are difficult to come by. Friends that stand beside you through thick and thin throughout your life are exceptions rather than norms. That's not to say that true friends are hard to find. It's the long-lasting ones that are rare.

People take unique courses through life and change at different rates. It takes a Herculean effort to stay close with someone when life is pulling you in different directions. It makes me sad that I'm not as close to some friends as I used to be. I hope they understand that they were instrumental to my life then [for which I am still grateful] and I did not wish for us to drift apart. I also hope that they still treat me with the same respect I give them. There is no need for misplaced self-righteousness.

For those of you who are near and dear to me and have managed to put up with me ever since you've known me [a difficult task, I'm sure], I want to give you my sincere thanks.