"The world spins madly on."

"I love those type of friendships that don’t require a lot of effort. We may not see each other as much as we want to or talk as much as we used to, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re friends no matter what. They can do their own thing and I can do my own thing. What’s important is that whenever we do see each other again, we can pick up right from where we left off without making it awkward. Any friendship that works out like that is a friendship worth having."

My good friend replied with this quote in one of our online conversations when I apologized to her. I hadn't talked to her for a very long time before that chat and I felt bad about not catching up with her as often as I should, so I said I was sorry. She didn't respond for a couple of minutes, perhaps busy rummaging through her old online posts, until I was finally "forgiven" through elaborate prose. And so all was well. Knowing her, she might have just laughed the whole thing off. But later on did I come to realize how very lucky I was.

The Weepies - World Spins Madly On by Nettwerk Music Group

"The world spins madly on," as that Weepies song goes. Quite the perfect word, isn't it. For the world does spin madly on. It does not slow down to prolong anyone's happiness, nor does it hurry up to subdue anyone's sadness. It just keeps spinning, carrying on without a care. And yet this bittersweet sense of non-permanence - bittersweet in the sense that while all good things don't last, so do the bad - is the one truth we all face with each day we cross off our calendars. Everything will come to pass, and the best we could do is make the most out of every moment.

How often have we shown our appreciation for those we consider important? Our friends, our family, the ones we hold close to us? Do we take time out of our often-busy schedule to check up on them, ask how they've been, simply let them know we give a damn? Some people will say that they're not sentimental, but I beg to differ. If these people are as important as we say they are, then there will always be a longing to keep in touch. And to remain connected.

I say we take advantage of the time we have and the resources we now enjoy. Things are so much simpler now than in the past: with plenty of means and media to use, leaving us little room for any excuse. Go have that conversation with your friend, your relative, your loved one. Or better yet, set a date to have that conversation in person. Surely it will be time worth spending. Let's not turn it into a time we will be regretting.

The world will spin madly on. But we know better than to let it spin without us doing anything about it.