Proximity friendship

I remember when I was 12, and there's this little girl who was in my class.
And I called her "my best friend" then.
It was the "in" thing to have a best friend that time(if you are about my age, you'd know how it was like back then).
We became best friends because we lived close together, and often walked to school together.
And when the boys bully any one of the us, the other would stand up and "fight" those silly boys.
We would share our toys, go to each other's house and play, and even talk about the faraway future, where we were both in each other's picture.

But the time came when we have to leave each other because we went to different secondary schools.
And we promised to keep in touch no matter what.
Years go by, and we slowly became too consumed in our own lives that we forgot to update each other.

Another few years go by, and we totally forgotten each other's telephone numbers even.
And soon, we were no longer in contact.

We both got new friends.
New friends who are so easily reached.

In my adolescent age, I've made new friends, whom I vowed to keep them for life.
But, as we grew older and made different choices in life, our paths did not cross.
And so the story repeats itself.
But, with a happier ending.

May be, age and technology did help in a way.
We were all able to keep the contact going with emails and handphones.
And as we age, we've got fewer friends whom we can confide in.
It was no longer like when we were young and we could talk about all the naive and harmless issues with virtually anyone.

The few of us fought hard to maintain the contact.

And at times, I grew lazy.
And the contact stopped for some months.

I can't deny the fact that I am lazy,
Because there were others I can easily reach out to.
Others whom were closer.
In distance.

I recall the times when I first started working.
And these were the people revolving around my less-than-exciting-life.
But I was "close" with them.
Not because we had a lot in common and would become friends for life.
But because it was easier.

Friendships form not only because you "click" with that someone,
or have something in common with the someone.
It's sometimes the proximity.
And the someone just happened to be there.
At the right moment, at the right setting.
Then we share daily happenings, thoughts and feelings.
Bitch about others, go shopping together.
But when either of you leave the company,
the "friendship" may not last.
Because the proximity is lost.

It is often convenience that brought people together.
And it takes effort to keep it together when the proximity is no longer there.

Taking a step back and looking at the friends I am surrounded with,
they are mostly people from my workplace.
I still have friends who grew up with me, and am still in touch.
But keeping in touch is not as easy as just talking to my friends at work.
You may say, it's always just a phonecall away.
But what do you say over the phone?
When you don't even know where to begin.

It's different when you talk to friends-at-work.
They know who and what you are talking about without much elaboration.
Because we are all in the same environment.

It's this kind of proximity I enjoy.

I look back on my life and remembered the number of friends I lost to my laziness.
I eventually lost these people's contact,
along with the emotions we pumped in together then.
It was hard to sustain friendships when our paths don't cross anymore.

But it also takes effort to keep the friendship going.
From both parties.

It's ultimately the amount of effort both sides put in the friendship to ensure the sustainability when the proximity is no longer there.

But one side has to start somewhere.

And from now on,
I am gonna make sure that I will keep all the friendships going no matter the proximity.
As long as the friendship is worth keeping.