I think one of the most difficult things about life is to accept the fact that not everyone who becomes important to you should stay with you forever.

There come times when people become a part of your life out of the blue. You feel comfortable with them, share your secrets, create memories and begin picturing them staying by your side permanently. But somehow, things change.

Perhaps the friendship weakens or perhaps you are separated by some circumstances, or perhaps you just grow up in different ways.

And the truth is, sometimes that is tough to accept.

For a very long time, I used to believe that if someone was important enough to me, I had to keep them in my life in some way or another. However, that isn't how life works.

Sometimes, people come into our lives for a certain period of time, teach us something, help us overcome something or leave us their unforgettable memories.

It doesn't matter that they leave because nothing changes what they were.

Perhaps some people aren't meant to stay with you forever.

Perhaps they are meant to be a part of a great chapter of your life.

Hard thing is that the realization that one was just a chapter in our lives will not instantly make everything easy.

We can come to realize that people change and still yearn for their presence; we can accept the fact that all was well and still cherish the beautiful memories of the past. The two can happen simultaneously.

I also do not feel like there must always be an offender.

Sometimes nothing is wrong on anyone's side; two individuals can love each other and yet walk into separate paths because of natural process of growth and experience.

What really counts is the progress made.

All the talks, the learning, the experiences and even the regrets can become a part of us.

I have come to believe that one does not have to measure the significance of anyone based on how long one stayed.

Sometimes people stay with us for years without teaching us much, and sometimes they leave after staying only for a very short period but leave behind a lesson for life.

So if there are people who became just chapters in our lives, then it is alright.

Not all the chapters have to be turned into books.