Long Lost Friends?

[Florence Fennel]

I have been contacted by a friend from my teenage years (whom I bumped into recently at a funeral) to ask if I would meet up with her and another friend from my childhood. Up to this year, I hadn't seen my teenage friend for 40 years and have not seen or ever heard from the childhood friend for about 45 years. My instant reaction is that there must be a reason they have not been in my life for 40+ years, so why would I want to rekindle a friendship now? What do you think?

[binley100]

Difficult. There are some friends who you lose touch with and then when you meet up it's like you only saw them yesterday and then there are others who get in touch when they want something.Hmmmmmmmm I think it depends on what sort of friendship you had way back when .Not very helpful but only you know what these people were like back then.

[Jardiniere]

i got back in touch with friends from school and we met up once and then e mailed a few times and then lost contact again because i suppose we didnt have much in common.We lost touch cos i moved away to London when i was 17 and we didnt stay in touch then. Cant hurt to meet up but if you dont get on then you can slide into oblivion again....

[HeyWayne]

What have you got to lose?

Go for it.

[bobleponge]

I agree with Jardiniere on this one. Go and meet up, if you all get on, great, if not then fade away again.

[Seahorse]

I am also in the 'why not?' camp. I've had quite a few school chums contact me through the internet. Mostly we've just said 'hello' and given updates of where we are now, then drifted apart again but a couple are now people I speak with regularly. Not the closest of friendships but nice all the same.

[janeyo]

I am a nosey person, so quite like to catch up with old friends not seen for ages or even years.
Ditto what the others have said, as long as it's not an old flame that might cause grief for your current partner then what have you got to lose?

[northepaul]

I am also in the 'why not?' camp. I've had quite a few school chums contact me through the internet. Mostly we've just said 'hello' and given updates of where we are now, then drifted apart again but a couple are now people I speak with regularly. Not the closest of friendships but nice all the same.

Ditto with that Seahorse. I have contact now and then from people I went to school with/knew when younger. Its nice to see how people change and how they are the same.

[lizzylemon]

Depends how much you liked them way back when maybe? If they've been people you've wondered about over the years I can understand it, but if you not spared them a seconds thought, well.......

[di]

My instant reaction is that there must be a reason they have not been in my life for 40+ years, so why would I want to rekindle a friendship now? What do you think?

Maybe there's also a reason why they've suddenly re-entered your life?!
You don't have to commit to a new full blown friendship,just meet up for a coffee or something and take it from there.

Some people drift away from us because we have little in common,others for more circumstantial reasons.
Last week I found a really special person from my past on Facebook...I've no idea where it will all go from here but for me,just seeing that she's all grown up and appears to be doing OK for herself has meant the world.