It never fails to amaze and sadden me just how quickly you step out of other peoples' lives.

Just today I was updating something in my address book and found a name. Someone I used to work with closely and even formed a personal relationship with. We became close friends.

What happened? She resigned, took a gap year, and in came the gap. A separating abyss that can never again be crossed. Emails are answered politely enough, but there's nothing left. It's gone.

And it's not just her. Where are the Wallys, the Pascales, the Merilyns, all those people you used to have long chats to about life, the universe and everything else? They don't pick up the phone. You do. They don't drop a quick email. You do. Never mind instant messaging or texts. Where are these people now? Locked in their own worlds, their own lives, maybe wondering what happened to so-and-so and never finding out.

Some people die on you of course. That makes it hard. Some people, you make the decision never to contact again. Destructive, negative, or just plain cheats. Goodbye Geraldine.

Some people try. There are those who place value on relationships and put in the work to keep it going. Thank you Zelda. Thank you Linda.

For the rest, it's love's labours lost. Something worth shedding a tear or two over, I think.