It is not surprising that reuniting with an old romantic partner can be fraught with danger. For those who believe in fairy tales or conventional wisdom, romantic relationships carry the weight of a lifetime of wishes and fantasies. Plus, in theory, we indulge in just one serious romantic relationship at a time. That multiplies the significance of each partnership. Break-ups can be pocked with recriminations, hostility, and hurt. Not so easy to pick that up years later and settle in comfortably for the second round.

It is different with our platonic friendships. Often, we stop speaking to friends not because we've vowed, in anger, not to ever speak to them again, but simply because we've moved away and lost touch. Should we meet again and rediscover what we used to love about each other, we can pick up where we left off, with little chance of entering a danger zone or making a big mistake.

Even the closest of friendships are not just romantic relationships minus the sex. Friendship is its very own relationship category. We do not expect our friends to be our everything (as those sappy love songs suggest about romantic partners), and we are not limited to just one at a time. That can take the pressure off any one friend. Because friends typically do not promise to be each other's one and only, now and forever, endings can be far less painful (though some surely are tumultuous). Sometimes two friends simply grow apart, and there are no emotional fireworks to mark the demise.

When I asked my readers over at "All Things Single (and More)" for their stories of reuniting with a friend from the past, one of them reminded me that friendship reunions do not always turn out so well, either. That's a good point. It is also true that some romantic reunions can be joyful or even ecstatic ones. I think, though, that in general, reunions with friends are likely to be emotionally and psychologically smoother than reunions with old flames. (If adult friendship were taken more seriously as a topic in academic psychology, I would be able to cite an armful of relevant studies. Instead, I'm left to guess.)

I've cherished my chance reunions with old friends. You can read stories of reignited friendships described by me and "All Things Single" readers here and in the comments section to that post.

There's one more story I didn't mention there. Decades ago, when two of my nephews were little, I went with them to Disney World in Florida. On the merry-go-round, as I stood next to their horses, I caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking woman who was also standing next to a child on a horse. She was a friend from grade school, back in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Afterwards, we returned to our respective states (Pennsylvania for her, Virginia for me, at that time) and we did not stay in touch. Now that the Facebook era has arrived, we send each other brief notes now and then. I like that.

I'm interested in your stories of reignited friendships as well as your thoughts about the differences between friendships and romantic relationships. So if you are willing, please share.

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