They say the only constant in life is change, and people are certainly no exception to that maxim. Partners, friends, relatives, coworkers, acquaintances -- they evolve, for better or worse. Wishing things could revert to how they used to be in any given relationship sets one up for major disappointment. The fact of the matter is that you may have a friend who's very different today from how she was in, say, 2012. Shifting priorities, new experiences, and changing views each play a role in our evolution as people. Unfortunately, such changes can be detrimental to a relationship. Your friend gets married or starts a family and forgets you exist. Your boyfriend has to relocate for his job and now you hardly hear from his anymore. Your closest cousin is hanging out with a different crowd and no longer seems like the person you grew up with. It's understandable that such life events would make people less available. Gone are the days when you could arrange outings on ...

You set yourself up for disappointment every time you expect someone to think and behave as you do. You may expect a person to act a certain way in a given situation, but it doesn't always pan out that way, unfortunately. How many times has someone done something to disappoint you, after which you expected an apology that never came to fruition? How many one-sided friendships or relationships have you been in where only you invested time and energy in them? While some people can be relied upon, others are only out for themselves -- all the time. Whether it's someone you call a close friend or a mere acquaintance, people can turn their backs on you at any moment. That's why it's important never to expect too much from anyone, as cynical as that may sound. The only one you can fully depend on is yourself. Over time, people change, as do their lives. While change can be for the better, it is sometimes for the worse, as far as our friendships and relationships go. ...

I took a gander at my wedding pictures and realized that I haven't spoken to many of the attendees who appear in them since the occasion itself. I also reflected on how different some of these people -- and our relationship -- were when we first met. Life changes us all, some a little more than others. Marriage, kids, moving, shifting jobs and changing interests cause us to drift apart from people we were at one point very close to. It's hard to think that some of the people you would interact with on a daily basis are hardly in your life now. Luckily for us, while people have a tendency to change over time, memories endure. I may have lost contact with many of my closest friends from high and college, but the great times we shared remain firmly seared in my memory. When one of those friends comes to mind, I try to reminisce about the good old days, and not fixate on the fact that we've become estranged of late. This phenomenon applies to even my closest friendships. ...