The strangers on my phone
I received a notification on my phone. It was from my photo app, reminding me about an event that happened 8 years ago. And that was when I realised an unsettling feeling that I can’t really explain: My phone is full of strangers.
Not actual strangers.
People who used to matter.
People I used to talk to every day.
People whom I thought I’d spend my life with.
People who tagged me in everything on Facebook.
People I stayed up with until 3 AM playing games, talking nonsense, sharing life.
Now it’s just silence.
This one photo from eight years ago was the last time we all hung out. At the time, it didn’t feel like anything special; it was just another day. Because none of us knew it would be our last time spending time together.
Since then, we’ve barely spoken. No falling out. No drama. Nothing broke.
Just distance. Just life. Just different people walking forward and never crossing paths again. And I keep wondering:
How much of their life have I missed?
How much of mine have they missed?
Not because we didn’t care.
But because we’re just busy becoming someone.
We were busy trying to figure out our own lives.
And unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we stopped being part of each other’s story. We entered different worlds, and our lives were never what they used to be.
The weird part is, they’re the only ones.
There’s a friend from my first job. We used to support each other through everything. Now I don’t even know where she is. No social media accounts, no replies on WhatsApp when I sent a happy birthday message, we’re basically strangers now.
There’s that group of colleagues bonded by a shared hatred of one boss. At the time, it felt permanent. It ended the moment I left the company. Turns out we share nothing in common apart from the fact that we didn’t like our boss.
There are people I met once, followed on Instagram, and never spoke to again. We exist in each other’s feeds, not in each other’s lives. I didn’t even remember how we met.
And then there are the ones who were just there.
When you really think about it, your life is full of people who were temporary but never felt temporary at the time. That’s what makes it hit. They were part of your everyday. Now they’re just archived.
And I wouldn’t have remembered about them if not for the notifications from my photos app.
Honestly, I don’t feel the need to reconnect with all of them. If we were to hang out, we’d probably have nothing to say to each other.
But, isn’t it just strange?
How can someone go from being part of your daily life to someone you haven’t thought about in years?
And they probably feel the same way about you.
Once in a while, your name crosses their mind.
A quick memory. Then it’s gone.
No final conversation.
No big ending.
Just people entering, staying for a while, and leaving without announcement.
Some friends stay for a season.
Some stay for a reason.
Some stay for a lifetime.
Most of them quietly become strangers again.
Still there.
Just living in your camera roll.
I hope you find this insightful. Remember:
It’s not going to be easy,
But it’s not impossible.
Your friend,
Brian.