To the ones

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Happy New year (The year 2025)
2. To the ones Lost/Drifting away
3. To the ones Continued/Here to stay
4. To the ones Yet to Discover

Happy New year (The year 2025)

Let’s start with this: making it to a new year is no different from going to bed one day and waking up the next.

Yet, for some reason, we humans decided that when the Earth completes one rotation around the sun, it calls for a grand celebration.

Christians in church, Muslims in mosques (I think), atheists—wherever they choose to be.

People even go as far as setting resolutions, believing a new year automatically signals a fresh start.

Spoiler alert:

That said, I understand why we celebrate.

Humans crave purpose, a reason to mark moments, and if we can’t throw a party every random Tuesday, at least we can make a big deal out of the Earth hitting 360 degrees around the sun.

So, in the spirit of reflection, let’s talk about friendships.

2024 was my most outgoing year yet.

I went out more than ever, met new people, and had more intentional interactions. And you know what? People make life worthwhile.

If you were the last person on Earth, no matter how rich or free you were, you’d probably lose your mind (or worse).

Just watch Passengers—it proves my point

So, let me speak to the three kinds of friendships I experienced last year:

To the ones lost/drifting away

• Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear,
• Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near,
• Someday you'll say that word and I will cry,
• It'll break my heart to hear you say, "goodbye"

That song is a punch to the gut. 😭

I’ve never been one to consciously say “goodbye.” Aside from those lost to death, I’ve never had to intentionally part ways with a friend—until last year.

Just to be clear, when I say “lost,” I don’t mean those who have passed away, but those still alive, yet no longer in my life. And no, I’m not talking about romantic relationships—this is about true, genuine friendships.

I won’t lie, not every friendship that faded was one I wanted to lose. But sometimes, life happens. Circumstances change, priorities shift, and distance becomes necessary.

Countless times I want to go back and I think this is natural.

Because, if a person is an integral part of your life, the moment they start drifting away, all your faculties would try to object and try to keep the connection.

Your brain is just trying to stay with what it is used to, and this happens to every new thing we experience in life.

With that said, I’ve realized there are two types of drifting:

1. Intentional drifting
2. Unintentional drifting

Intentional drifting

These are the friendships where I was okay with the distance—sometimes, I even created it.

If I felt undervalued or saw no reason to continue, I let the space grow. Funny enough, people love to think they’re the ones who walked away first. So, in some cases, I subtly set things up so they could believe that. Call it manipulative if you like, but if it spares unnecessary drama, I say it’s a win.

Unintentional drifting

Now, these ones hurt.

Sometimes, you value someone more than they value you. It doesn’t mean they’re bad people—it just means you’re not as important to them as they are to you. And that’s okay.

A simple truth I've learned:

If you consistently give 80% and someone only gives 20%, it’s time to adjust. Drop your energy to match theirs, or better yet, walk away. It might be hard, but it’s necessary

And another truth:

If you have to force your way into someone’s life, you probably don’t belong there.

So, to the ones who drifted away:

Thank you for the memories. You shaped me in some way, no matter how small. I wish you all the success and happiness life has to offer—even if it’s without me.

Adios.

To the ones continued/here to stay

Ah, my people.

If you’re still here, it means we’re aligned. You are part of my strength, and our journey together isn’t over.

There’s not much to say, except:

The story of our lives spent together is still being written in the sands of time.

We would run, jump, dream, do, cry, laugh, eat, forgive and experience life together. More memories to make. More laughter, growth, and experiences ahead.

Let's go.

To the ones Yet to Discover

The friendships lost and the ones that stayed have set the standard for the ones yet to come.

Whoever you are—whether I find you or you find me—I know it’ll be great.

I'll apply everything I've learned:

• Matching energy.
• Prioritizing mutual, not parasitic, relationships.
• Choosing friends I can count on—and who can count on me.

I don’t want to always retreat into isolation when life gets hard. The right friends should help lift me back up. So, to my future friends:

I hope you are dreamers. Doers. Encouragers. Positive thinkers. People who refuse to be stagnant.

Because the people around you shape what you believe is possible.

If you’ve never seen a million-dollar earner, you might never dream of earning a million dollars. If you’ve never seen a healthy relationship, you might think dysfunction is normal. If you’ve never seen a peaceful family, you might assume all homes are broken.

So, See the World

Expose yourself to new people, new perspectives, new possibilities. It will change you in ways you can’t imagine.

Conclusion

As the sensei that I am, I have dropped some wisdom here 😂.

One last thing:

That's all for now.

To the ones drifting away: Adios.

To the ones here to stay: Let's go.

To the ones yet to come: Cheers.