Many of us grew up hearing the familiar rhyme, “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” Often attributed to Joseph Parry, the 19th century Welsh composer and musician, its message still feels timely.

As life gets fuller, it is common to lose touch with people we once knew well. Yet disconnection is not inevitable. Building friendships takes real time and care. Research published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships shows it takes about 50 hours of shared time to form a casual friendship and nearly 200 hours to become close friends. Those relationships represent a meaningful investment that does not simply disappear.

Still, many people hesitate to reconnect. Social psychologists Lara B. Aknin and Gillian M. Sandstrom, writing in Communications Psychology, found that more than 90% of people report losing touch with an old friend.

Over time, familiar connections can begin to feel distant, even when the foundation is still there.

The month of May sits at the edge of summer. It is a season of longer days, lighter schedules, and renewed openness. As we move toward summer, it may be the perfect time to reconsider the connections that once mattered. An old friend is not a stranger. Often, all it takes is a simple message to reopen a conversation.

As the season shifts, consider reaching out. Some of the strongest connections are the ones already waiting to be rediscovered.