Everytime the year is about to end, people always make plans for the new hoping to do better than what they've done in the previous one. The new year usually comes with a sense of promise, a clean slate to reinvent oneself, opportunities to be grabbed, a resolution filled with dreams/ambitions and most importantly, the kind of company you wish to either hold close in this new phase of life or outright cut ties with when they are perceived as obstacles to your drive.
I remember some years back when I went to visit a friend for the new year after a while apart. He was very cold towards me like my very presence was causing him some sort of discomfort. When I asked him if everything was okay, he straight up told me that there are certain stages in your life where you don't need certain people in it and sadly I was one of such people who he doesn't need right now. That really hurt coming from someone I called friend and the worst part is the friendship was about it. Realizing I was no longer welcomed there, I immediately left his place with pain in my heart from losing a very good friend to life.
As time passes and the new year arrives, There is always this pressure of upgrading oneself which in most cases stands on the foundation of changing one's circle of friends as if they are disposable materials that can be tossed out in the pursuit of enlightenment ignoring that growth doesn't always have to about letting go and in cases like this creating deeper bonds with friends can also be an achievement. Personally this new year is not about cutting people off or changing old faces. The very reason this people stuck with me all this while was because they possessed similar mindsets and values so distancing myself from them would not push me any closer to the man I hope to become. These folks already understand me very well, they know my aspirations, support me whenever they can and even motivate me to do better so why would I want to abandon them.
This year a lot I have met a lot of people who now hold a big residence space in my life and the journey I have been through with them is not something I wish to let go. Let's not even forget those who have stuck with me for soo long, tolerating my shortcomings, ready to pull me back when I go astray and always ready to help in my time of need, only a crazy person will discard this kind of connection like yesterdays trash simply because you think you are searching for something bigger and better. These types of connections are quite rare so when they are discovered, they should be groomed instead of being discarded.
A change of network won't necessarily be good for me as it means starting all over again. Instead of creating new circles, I'll prefer to extend the already existing one this way everyone is given an opportunity to grow. The new year is not an opportunity for me to swap people but strengthening what I already have and fully assimilating myself into the cycle I already belong to.
Thank you
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