My 8-year old complained the friends he played last week didn’t show up this week at camp. He missed them and noticed the loss. It affected how he started the day.
We all experience something like this in life. When a workshop ends, we bid goodbye to each other and part ways. When a group has run its course and ends, we don’t see each other as often as before. When a neighbor sold their house and moved away, we miss them. These are the moments we try to hold on to. Mourning the loss is a need in life, a wonderful need that takes time to process.
When the process is complete, we start to see things from the other side: former peers from the workshop have found other adventures to explore. Former group members show up in different groups, communities and meetings that we join. The former neighbor have made friends with their new neighbors. And my son makes new friends to play with wherever he goes.
What’s new in our life didn’t erase what happened before. Our friendship remains.
What has changed is our connection with people has grown and expanded. Because of this, we often hear people marvel, “small world!”
