Holding onto People Too Long

I'm talking about friends and acquaintances from a previous shared context, such as job or schooling.

I don't know why I feel an obligation to stay in touch. But here's the thing, I don't actually reach out. I just feel guilty about not reaching out. And they haven't either. Yet as we parted ways there was a promise of getting together or keeping in touch, which I know is often the polite thing to say.

One of the ways this creeps into my life is sending mail. People like this come to my mind as people I should write to. In some cases, I've sent a few things and the person never responded, not even to let me know they got it. Others I haven't written to, that I don't even want to catch up with but feel like I should.

Ultimately we were never enough a part of each other's lives in any meaningful way outside of the shared context. And now that context is long gone.

Maybe I'm just asking the internet for permission to do something I want to do, lol. I also can't help thinking that if social media didnt exist then I wouldn't have this guilt.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Does anyone else have this problem too?