Relationships play a crucial role in our existence and this basically involves our emotional and mental well-being. It is very normal for humans to bond with one another, building memories we always want to revisit, building trust, sharing experiences, and providing support in different ways. Well, it doesn't have to even be a romantic type because that's the first thing that comes to mind when the word relationship pops up. It can just be a deep-rooted friendship between two people built on mutual trust, understanding, and unwavering loyalty.
However, relationships are prone to changes, and the future of many relationships can't be predicted despite having a strong connection at the moment. It's not the relationship just experiencing a change; it's the people involved. Humans undergo changes at different times in life for different reasons, and sometimes we, as their loved ones, can't keep up with their transformation.
From my experience, it can really be challenging to see the person we once knew become a completely different person. Some of us even go to the extent of trying to adapt to the changes at the detriment of ourselves just to keep the relationship, but life just happens, and this reminds me of a Yoruba adage that says, Twenty friends can't play together for twenty years, which is very true.
Growing up, I had this friend in junior school. Being a very shy type, I found it difficult to start interacting with people in new places, so I operated as a lone wolf in my new school. Weeks passed, and the best student in the class decided to be my friend, which made me happy.
We started with studying together and bonded pretty well; our friendship became the talk of the class because we were moving very fast, and other students started getting closer to me. I and this guy weren't just friends; we competed a lot in class, but it was a healthy competition. He was really good at math while I wasn't, and he always topped me in exams just with mathematics.
Our families got to know each other and automatically became friends, which deepened our relationship. At the time we were moving to senior school, we got transferred to the same school and made our presence felt immediately.
As weeks passed, my best friend started making new friends, which wasn't a problem initially. I noticed he barely studied with me, and our connection started dropping badly. I discovered some unusual habits, like skipping class, staying behind in school after closing hours, and, after two terms, my friend got a locally drawn tattoo.
He started avoiding me, and his new friends didn't even make things easy. They were the school bullies, and I didn't want to get involved with them. I was forced to tell my mom about my friend's new life, and she did communicate with his parents, but nothing changed.
I did my best to keep up, but our connection broke completely during our preparation for WAEC when this same friend lied against me in school. I felt really sad and couldn't tell what he wanted to achieve, tarnishing my reputation as the school head prefect. He didn't succeed, though, and I felt it was pointless staying in touch because he practically didn't want me anymore.
I re-evaluated our relationship a lot of times, and if I am being honest, I didn't feel good seeing him every day doing reckless things. I didn't want him gone, and those beautiful memories we shared always popped up in my head a lot of times. We completed senior school, and life took us in different directions.
We saw each other some years later, and I felt sad about what he had become. I had a little chat with him, and that was the last time we communicated.
As young as I was, leaving the relationship was difficult because he was someone I really cared about, but it had to happen. I had to build new meaningful connections; I needed to keep excelling in my academics because I knew how challenging it was for my mom to pay for my tuition.
I believe change is constant, and most times it can't be hindered. It must happen, but we must be careful with the changes we choose because they will definitely influence so many things in our lives. I am not the same George as well because I choose positive changes so I don't lose meaningful connections I have built with people over the years.
Image Are Mine.
