Since retiring for real, I have lost a few people who I consider friends.
Not the folks who wished me Happy Birthday on facebook and stalked me on instagram reels but people with whom I had shared ongoing close friendships. We have dirt on each other.
Of course I know that when you no longer have power in your industry or share the miseries of working in a brutal career, people don’t rate you as useful.
At first, I was surprised then taken aback and finally OK with it.
The way I see it, there really are friends for a reason and friends for a season.
Many a time, I have drifted away from people who seemed like oxygen but context mattered. There was nothing malicious in my distance. It was an effect, not a cause.
When I think of it that way, I accept it.
Will I welcome them back if they turn up for some reason? Well, it depends on the season.
They were good friends when we needed it and that counts for a lot with me.
Damana Madden 