LIFESTYLE | Fading Friendships

Hey Guys!

Oh boy have things changed! Long lost are the days of hanging out at my friend’s apartment, eating 20 tacos, domino’s cheesy beard and watching “Nip Tuck” before pregaming for Thirsty Thursdays. Little did I know that those little moments would mean soooo much.

10 years later I’m reminiscing about these cherished memories and realized how much I took them for granted.

When you’re younger it’s just easier to make friends and spend time together … maybe it’s because of the nativity of careless youth, dumb responsibilities, more time, and the closer distance.

As I’m getting older my friendships feel like they’re fading. We started to find lovers, moved out of state for our dream jobs, started families, started taking care of our parents and purely just evolving in our lives. I use to feel that my friendships weren’t what they use to be and guess what - they aren’t. We’re all evolving in our lives, settling into our new roles as caretakers, mothers, and dope ass bosses.

I wanted to shed some light on this transitional period. We all go through it, whether you’re leaving high school for college, college for real life, or starting a family it can get pretty tough. I use to feel a sense of lost of what was and remorse for things that are. It’s ALL NORMAL and things do get better. You just gotta put some perspective on it. People change as they SHOULD … I mean if I stayed the same 20-year old wilding out hoodlum in the rough drunken streets of Santa Barbara TODAY that would just be PLAIN OLD SAD. So I’m glad my friends are growing and reprioritizing things in their lives. I want to see them succeed, find their purpose and be happy.

Our lives are changing and that doesn’t mean our friendships are fading.

As our days get busier here are some ideas on how to spark up that old friendship boat below.

WAYS TO RECONNECT

  • Facetime - do a random call to catch-up. why wait for the special occasion when you can laugh about that time Mari fell off her bike etc.

  • Send a Text - don’t have time send a text to reconnect.

  • Start a New Hobby Together - as our lives change our interest changes so why not start new hobbies.

  • Show Them You Care - sometimes it’s the thought that counts find ways to show your friends you care.

PERSPECTIVE

  • New Priorities. We all evolve and have new priorities.

  • Tired. Being honest here there’s so much going on that most of the time we’re just tired and want to sleep.

  • Distance. Long distance can make it more challenging to get together.

A NOTE FOR THE KIDS

  • Hangout and do dumb things (not too dumb though) with your friends. These make for the best memories.

  • Enjoy the simple moments. Chilling on the couch and talking smack.

  • Don’t let silly fights end a good friendship. Hash it out fast.

P.S Thanks for Reading!

PEACE & LOVE,

-Melissa Khoeum Barnett

Melissa Khoeum