Reestablishing friendships - Can this really be done?

Question

I have found that reestablishing friendship, especially ones that are now long-distance, is a very difficult thing to do. I have changed and my friends have changed as well.

In fact, I have found that even a few years apart changes the feelings friends once had for each other.

Answer 1

I've reestablished a few, some haven't worked at all for the mere reason that I remembered why I stopped talking to them in the first place. Others I've stayed in touch with in an acquaintence type level due to differences in lifestyle. it would depend on the friend. if you have reason to talk or hang out, you will, if not, you won't. Don't try to if it's hard, friendships are supposed to be natural. Sometimes it is best just to have the memories.

Answer 2

I don't know if people can always reestablish friendships. It's been my experience, so far, that anything the person used to hold against you, no matter how big or small, is the last things they really remember about you, so when you contact them again, they are working from that point of reference. Maybe it takes more time to get to know each other again, I don't know.

I think people can be amicable acquaintances again, but probably not like, best friends or close friends. It just depends though on how nice the other person is in the first place, how much they've matured while they were "changing."

Answer 3

Well yes but it also takes work. It also calls for maturity, compassion, & understanding. I have several friends that I have known for approximately 7+years. They are in different places in their lives than me, some of them live spread out all throughout the Unites States but I still drop them an email every now and then. Send them a birthday card etc. It is very difficult but like any other relationship it also takes some effort. Just because they have different views than what I do sometimes I like to talk to them b/c they show me different side of the story. I can come to understand a different point of view. I remember a long time ago reading a quote and this is not verbatem but it was a long the lines that as friends we may have differences but let's not allow these differences and misunderstanding stand in the way of us not being friends.

Answer 4

I totally beg to differ on this one....here is my reason.
I met my best friend in 6th grade...we went all the way to our freshman year in high school and her family moved to Georgia. We stayed in touch for the first year all the time. She flew to visit me and I flew to visit her. Then things changed...she had boyfriends and a job. I had some new friends and a job....and communication all but stopped. I tried a few years later...she was in college and I was married with a baby. (too young I know...) We would talk about once a month and this went on for a year....then again the communication stopped. I had another baby and then got a divorce. Moved in with a guy, went back to school, got a better job....I thought about her a lot though. I had yet to find someone I clicked with like she and I did. I searched the internet with no luck...so I finally checked to see if her parents were still in the same house. Luckily for me, her stepmonster was so I mailed a letter with my address and phone number. The stepmonster didn't like me so she held onto the letter for six months. I just thought she wasn't interested....but then one day right around Thanksgiving I open my e mail and there she was!!! It was so great....this was almost two years ago and we have slipped right back into everything just like we were never seperated. Of course I am a mom and she is single...but she was and still is the person who loved me and accepted me for the person I was inside and out. I have never been more thankful for her coming back into my life. So yes...if you were truly friends, they can be reconnected no matter time or distance....

Answer 5

With close friends, it's usually easy once you get past the awkward "wow it's been a long time" phase. As long as there is common ground between you and them, there is usually little contempt over the lost time.

Aquaintances are not as easy and often it's not possible to get back to the same level you once were with them. However, it's worth a try because you never know when those first few conversations after a separation you may find new commonalities that you never knew existed before.

Answer 6

I think it entirely depends on the people.

there are some people who know us in a very deep way and it doesn't matter if we talk to them once a week or once a year - because you will always be friends, regardless.

other people we simply outgrow and move on. it's part of life. if you don't really have anything in common or shared interests anymore, what's the point in trying to stay friends with people who live far away?

Sometimes it's nice to simply send holiday and birthday cards as a way to stay in touch

Answer 7

well i have a friend and we are 1200 miles away from each other after practically living together 14 years and we still basically remain the same after 19 months apart friends true friends always remain the same ,you argue fuss and fight ,but in the end everything will be alright ,even if the other has taken flight.

Answer 8

Yes, people do change but if they are truly your best friends they always will. I can go weeks, sometimes months without talking or seeing them and when we talk or see each other it feels like it's only been a couple of days.

Answer 9

true it might not be as strong as it was. But you can learn new things about each other. It won't hurt to try. who knows this may be a great opportunity. go for it.

Answer 10

I THINK IT IS POSSIBLE TO REBUILD FRIENDSHIPS. YOU HAVE TO LET GO OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST AND CHANGE SOME THINGS IN THE RELATIONSHIP IN ORDER FOR THE RELATIONSHIP TO GROW,