Are we breaking up?

Has anyone ever broken up with a friend? I slowly broke up with a friend and it really hit me this weekend that we're done. It's weird breaking up with a friend; it really is kind of like breaking up with a significant other. Especially when it's not because you two had a fight or a huge falling out of some kind. 

I met my friend years back. They were just someone I worked with and before we knew it, we were pretty much inseparable. When we weren't hanging out at work, we were on the phone or hanging out outside of work. When I moved on from that job, I realized, this might've been a case of convenience for my friend. It was easy to be my friend because I was there. Once I left and it took more of an effort, our friendship was still there, but it wasn't nearly as strong and I could see it was starting to fizzle. 

It wasn't long before we were working together again, and we were right back on track to bestie-hood. Always hanging out. I was even in this person's wedding (I had also become close with their spouse). I remember that day like it was yesterday. Right before we walked out of the bathroom, looking at each other, crying, and just exclaiming how much we loved each other and how happy I was for them. I made a speech about how I loved them both so much and wished them nothing but happiness together. So... what happened?

To say I'm unsure would be a bold faced lie. My friend changed their political beliefs as did their spouse. During election time I was constantly reading how dumb my opinions were, how stupid I was for being anything other than an extreme conservative and it all came from the two people I had spent the majority of my time with the past four years. People who I adored and loved like family. What made them do a total 180? And if they really were believing in different things these days then how come their lifestyle wasn't changing a long with those beliefs (a.k.a. hypocrisy)? It was so obvious I was shunned by both of them and you could start to see us drift away from one another. 

People change. It's only natural. It's supposed to happen, right? We are forever learning; evolving. I get that. Soon I realized it had been months since we'd actually hung out outside of work. And our conversation at work? No longer about us. But about work. It stung when I realized I wasn't the first one to hear special news, and I wasn't the first one to be told the sad news. I no longer get phone calls, and this weekend there was a birthday celebration without me. 

It's not to say I blame them. All communication has pretty much stopped on my end as well. They aren't the first people to come to mind when I think of "friends" and who I want to talk to, text, or spend time with. But it does hurt my feelings and it does make me sad occasionally.

Our breakup happened over a period of time, but like I mentioned, this weekend it really hit me. We are broken up. Much like a breakup with a boyfriend/girlfriend, I do mourn our friendship. Our fun times, our serious times, our times. I can't even really call this person my friend. They're merely an acquaintance. We can get all excited to see one another at work, and laugh and chat, but who are we fooling? We're no longer together. We've changed. We grew apart.

And I'm learning to accept that it's OK.