I am not sure if I concur with the notion that first impressions last the longest. I say so because in my life this has not always been the case. There are people i have known for a long time that i NEVER thought i would ever have anything to do with in my entire life but in time, these have turned out to be some of my closest friends. So yes, we have our differences but this just makes for some of the most interesting conversations and more often than not gives me a fresh perspective on things, a much needed one if you ask me. What I mean is when I met these people I literally said to myself “ ummm, I hope this is the last time I’m seeing you” yet encounters with that person turned out to be two, five, ten until you are at that “I can’t keep track of the count” number and guess what? Much to my surprise I enjoyed their company as much as they did mine. Yes, these were disguised angels in a way and if it were my choice to make I would have never known but time has taught me that yes, God knows exactly what we need. All the things he has chosen for me are perfect for me and if I could choose for myself without knowing what he had in store for me I might have settled for much less.
On the other hand, there are people I thought would stay a lifetime but were in my life briefly or for a season as they say, it might have been my fault or theirs, or no one’s really but at some point it was very clear that the relationship or friendship had run its course no matter how hard you tried to salvage it. Some were simply pretenders or good actors as it were, for their first impressions could have won an Oscar only to realize much later they are nothing close to the person they portrayed. Some, conniving as they are, were probably after something you had or could do for them. Sharks I call them. That said, I believe in second chances, even third, fourth, fifth chances because sometimes first impressions are not all you need to know and conclude on a person and no, they don’t need to last unless you want them to. After all, things are not always what they seem, the people you would be willing to take a bullet for are usually the ones behind the gun.
