Reconnecting with an old friend
Last night I had a dream that I was at an engagement party for my high school best friend. It wasn't a typical adult engagement party, it was more like a high school/college party actually. I remember seeing lots of people that I went to high school with, everyone having so much fun. I remember seeing her in all of her youth and beauty, like the years had not passed at all. I remember seeing her ex-husband there, who over the years developed a serious addiction to opioids. He was there, smiling and healthy holding a baby girl. Everyone was so friendly and having such a good time. When I woke up I felt very nostalgic. I haven't spoken to her in several years because we started to grow distant in our adulthood. Like most people, we change over time and her beliefs and thoughts which she freely posted on a YouTube page didn't align with my own and I felt like I didn't know her anyone. I didn't even really know how to interact with her or what to say so our communication just...stopped. From what I last heard of her from her family members, she has disconnected from social media and I remember her blogs mentioning her wanting to live off the grid one day. She became radically religious and spoke a lot about the evils of the world and the devil walking among us. I started to worry she was becoming unstable, but we are all free to believe what we want. When she DID have her YouTube page still running, she homeschooled her children and vlogged, starting a religious-based home school program for kids in her neighborhood during the COVID pandemic. It ended up failing. She was an avid Trump supporter and participated in rights marches with her second husband. At one point over the years, her young daughter (a teenager) went missing for 2 years, and she ended up being located and rescued from a sex trafficking ring operating on the border of Arizona and Mexico. Because I found out about her rescue through a GoFundMe account, I felt odd reaching out after so much time had passed. I simply sent her a message wishing her and her family all of the love in the world and the strength to get through this difficult time in their life. That was a few years ago. I sent a message to her sister today, which I have as a contact on one of my social media platforms through a business her sister runs. I asked for her sister's mailing address and told her that I was looking to reconnect with her the old-fashioned way, by writing a letter. I am curious to see what path life has taken her on. We change so much from adolescence to adulthood - you grow apart, but it doesn't mean you never have a chance to grow back together. It's worth a shot, and I have nothing to lose. I'm interested to see if she will entertain the letter at all. We were very close during a particular season of our lives, and it would be nice to revisit that. She lives in another state, and I don't even have her phone number. Not that I'd call; I'd rather write. A little shy to send the letter, a little guilty for disconnecting our relationship because my beliefs didn't align with hers.