old friends

Sometimes I think about different people I have known throughout my life, some friends, some acquaintances, some individuals passing through my life. I have a good friend that told me that people come into your life for a specific reason, they may be friends for life or someone that we know only briefly, but there is a purpose for each relationship no matter how brief.

I like to think how these people have made a difference in my life. Some have taught me about life, living in the moment and grabbing the proverbial brass ring. There have been people that taught me to be selfish and be really okay with asking for what I want and taking it when offered. There are some who have, quite frankly, fucked me over, made me question opening myself up to others, made me think that life would be much better living alone in the forest a la Thoreau. Do I have any regrets, of course; but inevitably, even the negative encounters or relationships enrich my life and help me define my place in this amazing community of individuals.

I wonder about these people, their lives, their loves. Ultimately I am probably overly introspective because I am nearly certain that 90 percent of these people don't think about me in the same way. Wouldn't it be interesting though to have a reunion of sorts? Say have a big party of all the people that drifted in and out of your life in the last five to ten years? I can hardly imagine. But what an experience . . .