It’s unfortunate that I only seem to be able to get back in touch with old friends when something big is happening, like moving away from those old friends. Work, life, and everything else gets in the way of maintaining friendships with people you don’t get to see every day. Maybe it’s just me, but I have to wonder because no one else seems to be able to keep the relationships up either.

Part of it is growing apart from one another. Our common experiences in college don’t translate well in the real world, where we work for different companies, move to different cities or states, some of us go back to school, and some of us simply disappear. There are plenty of new things to talk about, but without something shared, it gets harder to send emails or call and keep in touch.

My wife has friends who email (or used to) on a daily basis. Every little thing was discussed: from how the horse was doing, what each kid was up to, to how the house hunt was going. Yet it only takes one person missing a few replies to break that chain and the friendship and conversation never really recovers.

This is what’s going to make going to Seattle so difficult. Co-workers and former co-workers can get together and talk about what they’ve done, what their new jobs are like, and what’s going on in town and create a new common frame of reference, to extend or revitalize friendships. Family members can almost always find something to talk about, even after years of separation. But what about old friends from college? Once you’re caught up, what’s left to say?