The journey, the ship, the people I choose to take.

I often forget the friends that are 'still here' but, now no longer sharing these moments with me, I 'forget' them. It's a funny entanglement - should I still choose to continue talking about them as though they've not gone, it would be weird for my current folks, who would only know 'them' through my words. And if I keep bringing them up, it would seem that I am living in the past 'good old days' too. But we all need memories to survive, and we all need people.

I guess for me, 'location' is very important when it comes to making and keeping friends, Often, the ones I share to the most are those who happen to take the same bus home with me, thus, through no fault of their own, becoming my favored bus buddy, one that I would look out for. Before Shiner, there was Gorilla, now residing in the States. Before Gorilla, came Giffy, Kie, and a host of unsuspecting neighbors...whether they live in Town A, Street S or Road H, as long as there was a straight bus back home for both of us...Way back before college I always had MrBestFriend and Ange, to chirp away to, on the journey.

The mind is a strange thing - it remembers things you don't remember remembering, certain things more strongly than others, for reasons unknown to yourself. Certain people, leaving a stronger impression on me, despite their entire presence not being prolific at all, the times I spent with them. And others', though I was sure that they were strong personalities, impactful and insistent; now barely a few months' down the road, I can hardly remember what they were like.

And in remembering ourselves, these people form a part of our lives, too. True, we cannot 'choose' the people who come into our lives, uninvited. Perhaps we were formally introduced, and then realising we share similar interests or intellectual pursuits, hope on to the same ship. This guy, I've known him in church for two years' plus, but we never spoke to each other, except a simple 'hi' and 'bye'. We never had the chance of serving together in the same committee, nor exchanging deep thoughts. Our paths never met...until it was almost time for him to leave. I got to know him better in the last 2 months we had, realising that we had similar thinkings, shared experiences, made a point to meet up to share about the 'Purpose Driven Life' book we were reading. If only I had known earlier... aboard the same ship, but this time knowing the journey almost certainly ends, because of us being in different locations. Some famous person once said, "Five years down the road, we are still the same person, save for the books we read, and the people we met."

I'm sure that none of us makes friends with the people we met with the intention of changing our mindsets; or we, too, when making friends, don't have this intention of changing the other person. But, recently, with the many new friends I've made both in church and workplace, they have greatly enriched my life. I've learnt nuggets of treasures from them, shared precious memories, and happy long conversations. Taking this ship, I do not know where or when the journey would end, but as long as it is humanly possible I would do all things in my control to preserve the ship. To keep it sailing, to treasure the sights seen and the ravages of the weathers blowing against us. I would not want these ships to sail away without me realising, or even worse, to drift off slowly, and I do not even realise that I have lost the ship until sometime later.

What ship?

Friendship, of course....

(Thought some of my ships would appreciate my corny-ness.)

=) To my ships (friends, lar): Sail well, keep your masts high and your tail above water. The journey ahead may have choppy seas or stormy weather, but know that it will pass soon. Let's have a beautiful voyage, together...