Some friends are for a chapter, some are for the whole book. Both kinds count.

Not every friendship is meant to last forever, and the short ones are not failures. Whoever made one difficult year survivable did something real whether or not you still speak, and judging every connection by its length means writing off most of your own life. Duration is one measure among several, and not the most important.

Think of somebody who mattered during a particular stretch and send them a message with no agenda attached. If it reopens, good. If it does not, you have still said it. Put most of your effort into the people who are in the room now.