the world is round...
... [but] shall we meet again??
i used to be so good at keeping in touch with people. it wasn't that it was easy, it was just that i made sure to take the time to note peoples' b-days and other such events. call them every once in a while and catch up properly and really make it feel like that the distance that may be between us really wasn't that much. but all of that seems to have dissipated since Africa and i don't know why. sure ilana is now in the picture, but it's not like i never have time to do anything.
take now for instance. i'm sitting on my ass listening to some tunes and deciding how best to spend my evening. it has so far involved watching the daily show, making some chips, and searching for some flicks this weekend. i didn't even text helene and babsi to tell them i got home (ironically they both texted at about the same time to find out!)... which brings me to this thing and this note: i suck at keeping in touch.
i went away to germany this weekend to visit Babsi, a trip i have put off for like ever until a couple of months ago when i decided just to take a day or two off and go. i planned to go visit Babsi and then stop in Paris for a day or two to visit Helene. it's so weird because these were two people who were clearly my best mates in my respective programmes and with Babsi i lived and did just about everything with her for about 8 months. when i left i knew i would miss her more than anything else about australia, but i wasn't particularly bothered because i knew i would go visit her. but then this weekend she told me that she cried a lot when i left because she thought she would never see me again- which i promptly told her was crazy. then her boyfriend told me that he wanted his birthday gift for her to be my coming to her birthday party this september. he said that would mean the most to her out of anything else. when did people (besides ilana) start caring about me? wanting me present? before it was me keeping track of past mates but it was never really reciprocated, but now these are friendships that deserve my thoughts and actions to keep in touch and i'm just not doing it. what's going on??
the same thing has happened with Jo and Helene. i see them and talk to them when i can, but how come i don't see Jo more? i see her like once ever couple of months and that is just not enough. i need to talk to her more. she's someone else that is just amazing and that i can hang out with forever. blah, i just find it hard to believe sometimes that people actually want to hang out with me and that they actually care when i show up. it's just so different from 10 years ago when i think that was clearly not the case.
so i guess the question is, how do i be a better friend and how do i get over this hump and be the friend that my friends deserve?!?
i used to be so good at keeping in touch with people. it wasn't that it was easy, it was just that i made sure to take the time to note peoples' b-days and other such events. call them every once in a while and catch up properly and really make it feel like that the distance that may be between us really wasn't that much. but all of that seems to have dissipated since Africa and i don't know why. sure ilana is now in the picture, but it's not like i never have time to do anything.
take now for instance. i'm sitting on my ass listening to some tunes and deciding how best to spend my evening. it has so far involved watching the daily show, making some chips, and searching for some flicks this weekend. i didn't even text helene and babsi to tell them i got home (ironically they both texted at about the same time to find out!)... which brings me to this thing and this note: i suck at keeping in touch.
i went away to germany this weekend to visit Babsi, a trip i have put off for like ever until a couple of months ago when i decided just to take a day or two off and go. i planned to go visit Babsi and then stop in Paris for a day or two to visit Helene. it's so weird because these were two people who were clearly my best mates in my respective programmes and with Babsi i lived and did just about everything with her for about 8 months. when i left i knew i would miss her more than anything else about australia, but i wasn't particularly bothered because i knew i would go visit her. but then this weekend she told me that she cried a lot when i left because she thought she would never see me again- which i promptly told her was crazy. then her boyfriend told me that he wanted his birthday gift for her to be my coming to her birthday party this september. he said that would mean the most to her out of anything else. when did people (besides ilana) start caring about me? wanting me present? before it was me keeping track of past mates but it was never really reciprocated, but now these are friendships that deserve my thoughts and actions to keep in touch and i'm just not doing it. what's going on??
the same thing has happened with Jo and Helene. i see them and talk to them when i can, but how come i don't see Jo more? i see her like once ever couple of months and that is just not enough. i need to talk to her more. she's someone else that is just amazing and that i can hang out with forever. blah, i just find it hard to believe sometimes that people actually want to hang out with me and that they actually care when i show up. it's just so different from 10 years ago when i think that was clearly not the case.
so i guess the question is, how do i be a better friend and how do i get over this hump and be the friend that my friends deserve?!?