As life passes by, we start realising that consciously and subconsciously, we put the relationships we carry into two different circles.

The first is the inner circle. It is small, sometimes surprisingly small. These are the people with whom we can be completely ourselves. We can share our fears without feeling weak, our failures without feeling judged, and our happiness without worrying about envy. They know our imperfections and yet choose to stay. They have earned their place not through words, but through time, trust and the quiet moments when they stood by us.

Then there is the outer circle.

These are the people we meet, respect, work with, laugh with and care for. We may enjoy their company and genuinely wish them well. But we do not necessarily share our deepest thoughts or our most vulnerable selves with them. Sometimes, we make the mistake of believing that being a good person means giving everyone equal access to our life; it doesn’t. Trust and comfort take time to build.

The circles are not permanent either. People move between them. Someone we barely knew can, over time, become family. And someone who once occupied the innermost circle can slowly move out. We feel a sense of joy when our inner circle is strong, and hurt deeply when someone moves away from our inner circle. Much as we must carry strong relationships, we also need to let go when we are being taken for granted or when trust is broken, or respect is lost.

And sometimes we feel that someone has moved us out of their inner circle, often leaving us wondering what went wrong and whether we are at fault. Often, we may never know, but we need to accept and move on, not with anger, but with grace, leaving the door open for an open conversation when the opportunity arises.

People come into our lives for a reason or a season. And somewhere between their arrival and leaving, they shape who we are. That is the circle of life.

(Picture – Marzamemi, Sicily)