Together Once More
Maggie Zhang
Maggie Zhang
After my sister and I moved from the US back to China in 2019, we lost connection with a lot of our friends. This year, we came back to the US and finally reconnected with one of our childhood friends. One of my fondest memories was visiting Disneyland with her back in 2018. This year, we were finally able to go to Disneyland together again, which is where we took this selfie. Visiting the park was like walking down memory lane. We rode the rides we remember going on in the past and also tried new ones. I felt both sentimental and surprised because I had not seen my friend in almost four years, yet somehow, we still had that “spark”. It wasn’t awkward interacting with her – it was like nothing had changed at all. We were back in the “good old days”.
I know everyone of us has experienced something similar — drifting apart from someone because of a lack of communication. When both people stop trying to talk to one another, both parties will begin to look at each other as strangers and become estranged. Sometimes, the reason why we drift apart is because we don’t share common interests anymore or are no longer living in the same area, so meeting up at local events is no longer a viable option. Other times, we just allow the relationships we form with others to slowly break because in the moment, we never realize how precious those relationships are.
As a result, when we finally feel like it is too late to repair those relationships, we might give up on actually reaching out to the people we care about. However, I have found that taking that step to reconnect with old friends has been worth the initial discomfort. While relationships are quite fragile, they are also cherishable, so we should try to maintain and fortify them.
The story captured in this photo encourages us to reflect on how even if some relationships seem to be unmendable, the crucial step of reaching out first goes a long way. For me, a simple invitation to go to Disneyland allowed my friend and me to reconnect and form an amiable connection once again, but it would not have happened if we didn’t take the risk and stepped out of our comfort zones. Even a gesture as simple as a greeting counts. Contacting and catching up with one another can also be something we should do with the relationships that are hanging by a thread. We should not allow such close and interpersonal relationships to just fade away into obscurity, but instead make an effort to connect with others.