I’m in the midst of losing a friend and I feel… confused… and really sad. Not to death, not to distance, I’m losing him to choice. Can people even do this… make decisions to sever friendships on good terms? Why would someone want to do this? A mix of feelings flood my mind… I’m repulsed, offended, terrified, angry… sad. I want to say ‘no, don’t go… I’ll go’, but wait, that doesn’t make sense, I’d still be losing my friend. There is nothing I can say… nothing I can do that will hold onto this relationship. Why do I even care this much? I have plenty of other friends. Really nice ones too. But when I think about it… sometimes there are certain people who are simply– irreplaceable. No imitation or substitute can compare. Why though? What makes them “irreplaceable”? Well, this friend in particular, when I think of him, I see someone who’s funny– but not just funny, he’s really funny– my kind of funny, and smart– but not just smart, he’s really smart– my kind of smart, and wise– but not just wise, he’s … Alright, I see the pattern, certain people are just really good at the ways they are known for and I guess that makes them irreplaceable. They have become masters of their own traits. And when you find someone like that, you would fight the world over to keep them close. These people are a treasure… worth a king’s ransom. Most people go their whole lives without finding this type of friend, but me, I found him… and now, I’m losing him. It’s like trying to hold the grains of sand as they slip between my fingertips. “Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.” ~Alvin Toffler