Yesterday's Gone

Yesterday's gone and it's never coming back. The 50s are gone, the 60s are gone, the 70s are gone and on and on, they're all gone. The little sapling trees that were there when we moved to the new neighborhood are now towering trees. All the people who lived there before are gone. Who knows were they are? Some of them have died, some of them have moved, some of them we don't know what happened to them, some of them we didn't know then. But our neighborhood was a neighborhood; we knew several of our neighbors. Not like now. Everything is different now. Especially if you live in an apartment. Someone I know loves to say "apart-ment," and, you know, it's true. Apart from everyone else. You might see your next-door neighbor once in a while for a moment or two, but they have their life and we have ours. It's a different time. But there's something I have noticed. Connections made many years ago are often still intact. You may not see each other much if at all. Yet, some friends from the past can connect on social media and the evidence is there that we shared something neither of us can forget. A time that was slower and kinder, safer and friendlier. But we don't have to remain strangers. We can still connect. We can be the first to talk. We can be the type of person who never met a stranger. We can start a conversation with a complete stranger. It's okay. They won't mind. They will probably enjoy it. Unless, of course, they sense something nefarious coming from you. And now, there are ways to connect with others. For me, it has been a job and church. And knowing each other not just as Sunday morning appearances, but being actual friends. It was easier as children in school, but after that, it's more difficult. Difficult but not impossible. There are introverts and extroverts. You shouldn't have to feel pressured to approach people if it is not your style, but we can grow in our appreciation of other people and it's easy when you realize that we were made for relationships. So, finally, we don't have to grieve the disappearance of the past. There are people everywhere who want to connect as much as you do. It just takes a little effort sometimes. I don't think it will happen if you never leave your dwelling place, but getting out and being around people is about the best therapy I know of when I'm feeling sentimental about the past. The present has opportunities here and now. It's up to me to make them happen.