In The Body, Stephen King famously wrote, “It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.” The novella was later adapted into the film Stand by Me, which follows a character reflecting on the friendships he had at age 12 and realizing that some friendships endure while others are fleeting.

The reality of this idea can be a tough pill to swallow. In an Instagram Reel making the rounds, Savanna Mckay posted a video of a beautifully raging fire with a chyron that reads: “I was sad about losing a friendship. Then I learned about the Campfire Theory.”

The theory is essentially the same idea as the King quote, and many people seem to find it comforting.

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“Imagine you’re sitting around a campfire. Throughout the night, people come and go. Some pull up a chair for five minutes before heading home. Some stay for hours, laughing and telling stories. Some leave early because they have somewhere else to be. And a few are there until the very last embers burn,” McKay wrote.

McKay explains that this idea most likely wouldn’t conjure feelings of despair:

“You wouldn’t look around halfway through the night and think, ‘The fire must not be good enough becomes someone left.’ You’d understand that people have different seasons, different responsibilities,........

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