Outgrowing Those Around You

Let’s go back to the first time you made a friend. How old were you? Do you remember their favorite color? Did they know yours? Did you promise to stay friends forever? Did you?

If the answer is yes, congrats. If the answer is no, that’s okay too. It’s okay to outgrow the people around you. Not everyone you meet will stay in your life forever—some are only meant to stay for a short period of time. Even when we don’t want people to leave us, the reality is we learn something from everyone we meet. Some lessons just take longer than others. And we have to move on to the next chapter, even when we don’t want to.

We all have to grow up eventually. We’re no longer those little kids standing next to the monkey bars, pinky promising to stay friends forever. We now stand tall—some of us over six feet—no longer wearing princess tiaras or Lightning McQueen Skechers. But I’m not just talking about physical growth.

Because growth isn’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes it’s quiet—it’s realizing that a friendship that once felt like home now feels like a memory. It’s realizing that you have to give up familiarity in order to find peace. It’s understanding that distancing yourself doesn’t mean you’re erasing the person or the moments that mattered.

Outgrowing people doesn’t mean you forget them or stop caring about them. It means that you’re learning to care about yourself too. It’s ok to change and find others that match the person you’re becoming. Some people are meant to be lessons, not to stay with you forever.