Hello, Friends

Friends? Hello.....? *knock knock knock*

Every so often, I am overcome by a sudden wave of wistfulness that I no longer see my high school friends as often as I used to. Everyone's simply too busy. The rational, empathetic and positive-thinking voice in my head says it's normal and completely acceptable. As people mature, they have more responsibilities - demanding careers, spouses, children - and therefore, not much time for all else. Yes, definitely.

How much better my life would be if that was the only voice in my head.

Alas.

I am too acutely aware that almost every single thing one does and doesn't do is a choice. Granted, some choices don't seem like choices due to societal norms and expectations, ethical and moral grounds et cetera, but they are, nonetheless, choices. One does not have time to do something not because one is too busy, but that one has placed that something on the lowest priority. That is the sad truth that no one will likely admit.

Being "busy" makes the perfect, convenient, no-offense excuse.

And, suppose the definition of "busy" is what I say it is... so the following are all valid - 

"I can't make it because I'll be busy (watering my cacti at that time)."

"I can't attend the party because I'll be busy (reorganizing my bookcases and arranging the books alphabetically by author's last name)."

"I can't help you do that because I'm busy right now (reading an article about monkeys shunning mean people)."

Seriously?

I've rambled. I know not why my mood took a turn for the melancholy tonight. I guess everyone (including myself, to be honest) needs a friendly reminder, every now and then, that when someone always seems to have the time for one, it isn't that he/she has a lot of free time - it is that he/she has assigned one a higher priority than most other things in his/her life. Appreciate that.

Oh, and lastly, you should really read that article about the monkeys, Reader. It's very interesting.