The end of an era.

It’s the end of an era – Monica said, when Chandler and she had decided to move in together and she had asked Rachel to move out. We really felt it then – it felt like an end of an era. After six seasons, the people who we had come to rely on were moving on to the next stage in life.

Today, it feels like the end of an era in my life. It feels like just yesterday, we were running around the hallways of high school making fun of boys and giggling about who knows what. And today, my friend is on a plane across the world. The girl who I made fun of boys with and giggled with, and went through the hard days with, is now on a flight to begin her life with her happily ever after.

It feels like we grew up too fast. Feels like our careless days of giggles and laughter were swept from under our feet. It feels like life came at us all too fast. As if, just yesterday, we were young, going through the trials and tribulations of learning about life and all too soon, edging closer to the big 3-0. Some of us beginning new relationships full of hope and others, still trying to figure out their path and hoping that they are not falling behind. It’s a weird time for sure. All of a sudden, you realize that your parents are older, you have your own bills to pay and you need to make plans for your own future.

Life really is a long road – people who you thought would never leave your side, leave before you had a chance to say good bye. Someone who you met just a few months ago becomes more important than everyone else in your life – to the point that you are willing to move continents for them. And you realize, all too fast, that it really is impossible to hold on to people. Often times, love isn’t enough for most relationships to last. Love seems to only be the beginning.

I remember telling my friend after we finished high school and moved on to different universities, that we won’t continue to maintain our friendship if we don’t take the conscious effort to maintain it. I told her that all relationships take effort and if our friendship is important to us, we need to take the conscious effort to maintain it.

And now, I am hoping I can maintain this friendship across 15, 000 kilometres.