Nicholas Sparks - True Believer, The Wedding

I was so lucky the other day when I found Nicholas Sparks's books in Tampines library. Ohh some romance~! ;) I rushed "True Believer" this weekend so as to exchange it with my sister who has just finished "The Wedding", and came across the following dialogue on page 155:

Lexie laughed. "It doesn't surprise me. She's... well, she's Rachel. She and I were best friends growing up, and I still think of her as a sister of sorts. I suppose I always will. but after I went off to college and New York... well, it wasn't the same after I got back. It just changed, for lack of a better word. Don't get me wrong--she's a sweet girl and she's a lot of fun to spend time with and she hasn't got a mean bone in her body, but..."

She trailed off. Jeremy looked at her closely.

"You see the world differently these days?" he suggested.

She sighed. "Yeah, I suppose that's it."

"I think it happens to everyone as they grow up," Jeremy responded. "You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on. It's perfectly normal."

"I know. But in a town this size, it's a little harder to do. There are only so many people in their thirties here, and even fewer who are still single. It's kind of a small world down here."

That brief exchange got me caught in how I have treated my friendships for the past few years. Indeed, I have gradually realised that I do have a voice which I should articulate, though that has caused some friendships to become restrained. However I think that there's an innate element of friendship that does not go away, but rather it depends on how both parties seek to channel it towards a common purpose.

What do you think?