Class in session

Let me ask you a few rhetorical questions.

Do you have a friend or person in your life that you never hear from unless YOU initiate the contact?

Someone in your life that if you never sent them another email or called them on the phone or dropped by to see them - that you would probably never speak to or see them again?

Let me clarify. I mean everyone has a friend (or relative) in their life that they only see or talk to once or twice every few months/years.

That's not who I am referring to.

I'm talking about the so called "friends" that the only time you get an email from them is when the title starts with "RE:" or "Fwd". Or how about the person who never calls you unless they are returning your call (if they even bother to do that much). The person who doesn't come by or make plans to see you unless you initiate.

For all practical purposes, one would think "maybe they are just not that into you or just not that good of a friend". And perhaps that's true more often than not. But if that IS true. Why can't we just be real about the situation.

For example - in the last few years when I have run into an old college friend or sorority sister, rather than pretend to entertain the fact that if we exchanged phone numbers or email addresses we MIGHT actually keep in contact - I have just smiled, exchanged small talk, gave them a hug and sent them on their way. Thinking - well, it was nice running into so-and-so, I'm glad he/she is okay, but accepting the fact that I probably would never e-mail nor would I ever call. It's just a fact.

Anyway - the reason I bring this up is because I am in a situation like that. And to be honest it sucks. A part of me thinks it would be interesting to see that if I stopped calling/emailing a particular friend, just how long it would take before I ever heard from him/her again.
Friendships can be a fragile thing if you let them be. With a blink of an eye (or in this case, w/the click of a mouse or even going so far as to delete their number from your cell address book) a relationship can be over. And if that's all it takes... then obviously, your time has passed.

Perhaps that is the real lesson. Realizing when a friendship has run its course. Accepting that and moving on.