keeping up with the joneses

i was watching the telly last night when I was distracted by the ringing of my mobile phone. It was an old friend calling me up to say Hi after a long hiatus of not seeing each other. We have been keeping in touch thru email and text and yet even though we both work in Makati (our offices are just a few buildings away along Ayala Ave), we still don't get to meet up for lunch or anything else. My fault actually. I know it could really be frustrating for her because I usually have some excuses. Not that I do it intentionally but my schedule is so erratic and I'm almost always with my s.o. all the time, so....

Sometimes I feel guilty for neglecting our friendship. Thank God she understands! I really admire her patience and understanding. I gotta say, she is really a very good friend. I have known Tina since we were in college and up to now, we're still friends. There was only one instance when she intentionally chose to remain quiet for a couple of months just to teach me a lesson. She never replied to my text messages, emails, and never even answered my calls. I was thrown into a panic. Numerous thoughts entered my mind. Her phone could've been lost or stolen. Something bad happened, like an accident or she went missing. I also thought about the possibility that she could be mad at me for something I have done. So I apologised thru text for whatever it was that I have done wrong. But of course she finally told me the real reason behind her silence. Perhaps I diregarded her friendship merely because she's just around and easy to reach. Now I've learned my lesson. Friends are important to me. I value their opinion. I take heed to their advice. They add color to my otherwise boring life. I can't say I won't make the same mistakes again but I sure will remember not to neglect the people around me...