My parents did their best to prepare me for adulthood.
But one thing they didn't prepare me for is something that I have never heard anyone else talk about.
The reality of adult relationships.
When you're a kid, all your friends have more or less the same schedule.
You get out of school around the same time and go to bed around the same time.
As an adult, everything changes.
Friends go to different colleges and have different jobs with different schedules.
It's often hard to find a time when you're both free.
Never mind if you're in a group.
I often hear about friends "growing apart".
I always thought that meant growing as people in different ways that are no longer compatible.
Of course, that happens a lot, too.
But I never thought that one could lose friendships just because of schedule changes.
I never thought that the friends I meet in class and get close with would be gone after the semester ends and we are no longer seeing each other every week.
Even when we exchange our numbers and social media, saying "keep in touch" it hardly ever sticks.
Even relationships with family grow distant.
As the elders pass, the family get-togethers stop.
You go from seeing each other at annual gatherings to only weddings and funerals.
Perhaps I am the only one struggling with this reality.
Possibly due to the fact that I love and care greatly for others and take distance a bit more personally than I should.
While I hope no one truly shares in this pain,
I hope more budding adults can be prepared for this fact of life.