Maybe people are like contrails. Two contrails cross paths in the sky, forming something beautiful for a fleeting moment before drifting apart. From the ground, it looks like a perfect meeting, but in reality, there’s fleeting contact before continuing their separate journeys. We meet people the same way—some stay for a lifetime, while others leave after a brief but meaningful encounter. Yet, no matter how short-lived, every connection leaves an impact.

People come, people change, people stay, and people leave. But their presence—however brief—still shapes us. Human life is transient, and with time and distance, we all evolve. The person we met six months ago is no longer the same, just as we are no longer who we once were. We gravitate toward those who feel similar to us, but as time passes, differences emerge. We chase connections, hoping they will last forever, forgetting that forever is a long time. When the thrill fades and reality sets in, we often find ourselves struggling to accept the changes in others.

We resist, trying to hold on to what once was. But resistance to change is futile—just as we cannot stop the seasons from shifting, we cannot prevent people from growing into someone new. No friendship can be forced, no love can be willed into perpetuity. Every relationship is an ongoing choice, shaped by effort, priority, and mutual interest. Every person carries their own burdens, but when we truly value someone, we make time, invest effort, and build something deeper.

Over the past few months, I’ve learned to let go. Holding on too tightly only pushes people away. Real bonds are not about possession but about freedom. We can’t force anyone to stay—when we try, we often achieve the opposite. “People who are meant to stay will stay” is a comforting illusion. The truth is, people stay because they want to, not because of fate or invisible strings. Those are just stories we tell ourselves to avoid confronting reality.

Just like the contrails, meeting someone is a coincidence, but the future—to make an effort and converge or let time run its course and diverge—is a choice. Some people will choose to stay, and others will choose to go. Either way, every encounter leaves a mark, shaping the sky of our lives in ways we may not always realise.