tidal motion

this train of thought is not fully formed so bear with me...
i have a hard time letting go of people. whenever a friend moves away or if i feel us drifting apart, i'm always the one trying to patch the distance with letters & emails. but this has become more & more unrealistic over the past few years, what with me moving to maryland and all of us graduating from college & spreading out across the country & beyond. despite my best efforts (which, honestly, haven't been that good of late), i've lost some friends. even others, who i wouldn't go so far as to say i've lost, are far enough away that i benefit from the relationship mainly through memory.
this saddens me, naturally. but i've been in maryland long enough to make some new friends and i've discovered, to my wonder, that many of my old friends have their counterparts here. don't get me wrong, it's not that any friendship can be replaced. i believe that everyone i know has come into my life for a reason. i used to think that if someone faded from my life, that must mean that i'd gained whatever there was to gain from that relationship and it was time to move on. instead, i'm seeing new, similar relationships spring up in their place.
i noticed this first in tommy and how similar he is to loren. i started out acknowledging the surface similarities, like how he calls me "dude" and listens to metal. but there are deeper likenesses, having to do with my need to be someone's confidante. he is also part jason, but that's harder to pinpoint. likewise, lauren is very much jack and sofi is amy in so many ways.
i'd like to think this progression is unique to the positive relationships, but i can see too many parallels between quinn & my college roommate to dismiss them (the same brashness hiding deep insecurities). i guess that means there are things i need to learn from them as well.