Have You Outgrown Your Best Friend?

Every seven years it's believed that we change our personalities. However subtle these changes may be, they can have a huge impact on our lives, especially with our pasts that continue with us in our present and future existence.

Think about this-when you were a child, what was your favourite colour? Song? Movie? Type of food? Think of these same things now-your tastes have changed, haven't they? However small, say perhaps your love of mac and cheese has grown to a more grown-up yen for 5 cheese ravioli, these are changes still, and are applied to all aspects of our lives as we age.

In 7 years, or even a year from now, your likes and dislikes can change just enough to be affected by your relationships. Namely, your friends. Even more specifically, your best friend in the whole, wide, world.

It happened to me. My childhood friend and I were (still are) BFF. However, we've both changed since we were in our single digits, and though we have a great time reminiscing about the fun we USED to have with one another, we have no real things in common today. We've both changed, enough to the point where she finds me boring and too analytical and I find her too radical and immature. Though we still hang out (on occasion) and still hold each other at BFF status, it's clear we have both out-grown each other. But the memories hold us together and keep us laughing at the way things used to be.

Many people outgrow their best buds, but don't know what to do about it. Too many people feel guilty, and hang out with their BFFs simply because they've always hung out together, and they feel there's nothing they can do about it short of hurting the other person's feelings. Even worse, other people will begin avoiding their BFFs entirely without giving reason, until their former bud disappears wondering what went wrong in the relationship.

It's a tricky thing to deal with, but it CAN be done, without ruining a relationship that is still important.