Have you ever been ousted from a team or group? One time a long time ago when my life changed dramatically, I was essentially ousted from a group I had come to value and enjoy. When I tried to hold on to the connections as they were in the past, I realized that the demands of my life change made that impossible in many ways. My life simply didn't fit into the lives of others in the group. At the time, I was so busy that I didn't recognize the abrupt change for a while. In hindsight, I wish I had recognized the change and reframed the connections to people in that group. I could have done that, but I didn't think about that at the time.
When our lives change, our relationships change too. Changes in our time, responsibilities, abilities, interests, health, and goals affect our relationships. For example, one short-term friendship I had long ago was based solely on our connections related to gifted and talented education. Both of us were dedicated to learning all we could about this teaching/learning area which led to a short, intense friendship including good project work, study, and goal setting at a conference. Once the conference ended, we returned to our homes which were not close to each other and our busy lives. We shared a positive connection for a short time.
As our lives change, we have to reframe our relationships. Caring for my parents has demonstrated this to me. Many relationships they treasured have changed dramatically because of health needs, distance, and abilities. Once it was easy for my parents to gather with friends at a local pub or restaurant, but now that's nearly impossible so it's more likely they'll share a phone call with an old friend than see them for lunch or dinner.
At times, for lots of reasons, we may be ousted from groups we were close to--this disassociation may be abrupt or subtle, but it happens, and it typically happens because of multiple life factors, not one or another.
When ousted, we have to think about next steps. In the situation that happened to me long ago, my connections to the group continued in a different way. If I had thought about the change a bit more, the connections may have been more positive, but as I noted, at the time my life was so busy I didn't give the change much thought.
Recently I had a similar situation with another group. I'll give that change a bit more thought as at this stage it's clear to see the life events that contributed to this change--events mostly out of my control, but events that help me understand the change.
Life is always changing. Sometimes those changes are more challenging and abrupt and other times the changes are more subtle and slow moving. I think it's important to take time to think about these changes and do what you can to make the changes you need to make in order to live your best possible life. Onward.