Moving Away, Moving Along

Relationship:  Connection; a being related.
Related:  Applied to persons, implies close connection through consanguinity.  
Consanguinity:  Huh?  


I'm trying to sort out my feelings about some lapsed relationships as I prepare for my trip back to the Old City.  There have been a few people that I'm actively in touch with, as if we still live a few miles apart; a few more that I talk to regularly but not frequently; and the vast majority of my friends and acquaintances have gone into hibernation as far as regular, casual conversations are concerned.  This is as it should be -- I don't live there anymore, after all.  A lot of the glue that binds people is a regular sharing of the ordinary occurrences of life -- the weather, sports and politics, places that we both go and people that we both know.  I'm OK with this for the most part. It's part of the moving away process and I'm the one that moved, for god's sake.  I know that these people stay love me.  It's just that we don't interact on a frequent basis anymore.  This is the 7th different city that I've lived in -- this happens every time.


But I admit to some surprise and dismay that a few friends have been so distant.  I did a pretty dramatic thing and I'm somewhat surprised they haven't called to at least check in.  What's even worse, I made the effort to stay in touch with them for a while but still never got a return phone call, or an email, or text, or hand-written note arriving via carrier pigeon or St. Bernard or by a Pony Express rider on a sweating steed.  I know people are very busy but that excuse doesn't carry that much weight.


So what is MY problem?  I'm angry, which means I'm afraid.  So what am I afraid of?  My ego is obviously dented.  I'm not as important as I think I am.  This from a guy who never thinks about anyone else but believes that everyone else is always thinking about me.


The ego.