Life as we know it.

I live in a small town called Forest Gate. It's pretty humble, and full of chicken shops... I have spent my entire life in this town, and a lot of my memories have evolved from here. Up until secondary school, all my educational needs were taken care of in this rather grey town...

As you can imagine, a lot of the people that I see around everyday are people I have seen around for years. These aren't people I know, and these are people I will probably never know. That suits me fine.

A lot of the time I see people that I was at one time very good friends with, people that I grew up with, but then when secondary school came, we drifted apart. There are a few people I see around all the time.... when we pass each other in the street, we don't acknowledge each other... it's as if our paths have never at all been interwined.

These are people that I use to spend every day with, hanging out with, laughing with, growing with, sleeping over at each others houses type-of-thing... now we walk past each other and none of that is acknowledged...

For instance, I see many former best friends around town a lot. There is only one person from my past who always stops me to say hello and has a chat with me. It makes me feel like although I may not be in their life now, they at least acknowledge that at one time I was, that at one time I affected them.

Yesturday I was coming home from somewhere, and a kid got on the train that I use to go to army cadets with, I instantly recognised him from 6 years ago. My how time flies.... and I thought of saying hi, but why should I?

Afterall, that chapter on my life has ended, and I feel that it is somehow wrong to dig it up. We are told to always move forward, keep ourselves looking ahead.... so why bother digging up the past?

It does sadden me, when I see old friends who I was once very close with, but that's what happens. Times change and people grow up, and although I see the same person physically.... I doubt they are the same person from what I remember, so it would be like being introduced to someone new for the very first time if I was to strike up a conversation.