If you play Stray, you’ll see that it teaches us an uncomfortable but realistic truth: not everybody in your life is meant to stay forever.
Of course, there are different ways to interpret that idea. The most obvious one in Stray is death, which is an unfortunate truth I had to face recently. My culinary teacher, who taught me for the past two years, recently passed away. And while it still hurts knowing that I’ll never get to sit in his class or talk to him again, more than anything, I’m grateful that I had the privilege of being his student in the first place. I’m grateful that I got to learn from him, talk to him, express my ideas to him, and have all of those experiences with him.
Even though that time ended much sooner than I ever expected it to, that doesn’t suddenly make the time I did have with him any less valuable. But death isn’t the only way someone can leave your life.
Sometimes You Just Grow Apart
Playing Stray also got me thinking about some of my friendships in real life, especially the ones I’ve found myself desperately trying to hold onto. There are people from my past who I genuinely appreciate having had in my life. I enjoyed spending time with them, and I considered them great friends. But at the same time, I have to acknowledge something: I haven’t talked to some of them in nearly two years.
And honestly, I’m not going to pretend I’m completely innocent in that. I’ve realized that my friendships tend to work better when I’m in close proximity to people. When I’m seeing someone at school regularly or we’re naturally around each other, it’s much easier for me to maintain that friendship. But once that proximity is gone, it gets a lot harder.
At this point, I’m starting to understand that I can acknowledge that someone was an important part of my life without desperately trying to force them to remain in it forever. I can appreciate the friendship we had, remember the good times, and recognize that they were a great friend while also acknowledging that maybe they were just meant to be in that particular part of my life. And that is okay.
Stray Makes You Leave People Behind
When you play as the little cat in Stray, you’re trying to find your way back to the outside world and eventually back home. Along the way, you meet multiple people and companions who become part of your journey, like Momo, Clementine, the Guardian, and most notably, B-12.
Throughout the game, you get to know and become attached to these characters, only for them to eventually leave or disappear in some way. Momo stays behind to hold the gate open so you can leave the Slums. You eventually leave Clementine behind when you get on the train to continue your journey. The Guardian is someone you simply never see again after leaving his area.
And then there’s B-12, which is the one that probably hurt the most for me. After spending nearly the entire game together, B-12 sacrifices himself so you can finally open the city and reach the outside world. I didn’t really expect B-12 to die when I was playing, so after spending so much of the game with him, that one hurt.
And then you have to keep going without him.
I understand that part of this is meant to show the life of a stray cat. A stray animal moves through different places and encounters different people and animals along the way. But I also think there is something very human about it.
We Experience This in Real Life Too
You might have a teacher who teaches you for a year and then you never see them again, regardless of whether they were your favorite teacher or not. You might have friends who you slowly grow distant from until one day you realize you haven’t spoken in years. Unfortunately, you might lose someone because they pass away. Sometimes someone does something wrong to you, and you decide that you need to cut them off.
And sometimes nobody did anything wrong at all.
There can be a million different reasons why someone is no longer part of your life. Sometimes it isn’t anybody’s fault. Life simply keeps moving, and in a way, I can almost see myself in the cat from Stray. While it is sad to leave those people behind, not everybody who enters your life is going to be there forever. Eventually, you have to keep moving, meet new people, make new friends, and continue your journey.
What If This Friendship Has a Time Limit?
Sometimes I get a little worried about talking to people and wanting to become their friend because part of me wonders if our friendship has a time limit. Will there eventually be a day when we just stop talking? Will there be a time when we never see each other again?
But the possibility that someone might not be permanent in your life shouldn’t stop you from letting them become part of it in the first place. Regardless of how long someone stays, there can still be so much value in knowing them. Maybe you have really good conversations whenever you see each other. Maybe they give you advice that sticks with you. Maybe you work incredibly well together. Or maybe you just have some really fun moments together.
The friendship doesn’t suddenly become meaningless just because it eventually ended. The person might physically leave your life, but that doesn’t erase the memories you made with them or the ways that knowing them might have changed you.
Think of It Like Cherry Blossoms
If it helps, think of it like cherry blossoms. They bloom once a year, and they’re only there for a short amount of time.
They’re temporary, but they’re still beautiful every single time.
Maybe that’s how we should look at some of the people who pass through our lives too.