That friend of mine was really just one example of a much broader pattern I've noticed. I know a handful of people who would swear they're a completely different person from who they were 5 years ago, but in my experience it's mostly just an illusion. They're just an older version of themselves - they might be living in a different location and they've been forced to adapt to the circumstances, but the core of who they are is still very clearly intact.

I guess it's just... when I was a kid, there always seemed to be an underlying assumption that the person we grow up to be in our 20s, 30s and beyond will be unrecognisable to us. I couldn't relate to people who were my dad's age, so I assumed younger me wouldn't be able to relate to older me either. I was just surprised to find this wasn't really the case. I can still very much see teenage me in 29 year old me. I might have more life experience, I probably present as more confident, but I wouldn't say I'm a completely different person. Just an older version of the same person who has experienced more.