Throughout my last year of high school, college remained a looming threat for my friend group of about six years. We all had different dreams and career goals that, deep down, we always knew would carry us to different schools, maybe even different states. However, it’s definitely safe to say that we didn’t let that stop us from making senior year our best year yet. We were able to survive off of denial right up until it was time for the first one of us to leave and kept a steady balance of lasts and firsts to make sure there wasn’t a memory left unchecked before the fall eventually caught up to us.
Personally, as much as I knew I would miss my friends, I was still able to look towards college with more excitement than fear for the most part. I was ready to branch out, meet new people and take classes actually tailored to what I am passionate about, and now that I have been an official college student for over two months, I can safely say that I have become fully acclimated to my new routine. Sure, I still have good days and bad days, but I am confident in all my choices that lead me to where I am and I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience here so far.
However, no matter how grateful I am for my new friends, my new classes and my new home, I’ll never lose sight of the people that got me here. We still try to text every day, but being spread across several states and all keeping busy in different ways makes catching time for a phone call difficult.
So imagine my shock and excitement at the fact that, when I wasn’t paying attention, the time snuck up on me and now there’s less than a month until Thanksgiving break. Less than a month until I’m back together with my favorite people in the world. My best friends. My girls.
Sometimes it’s disappointing that I don’t get to make college memories with them by my side, but that just makes me all the more excited to see them again. I can only imagine the energy in the room as we recap all we’ve been up to without each other. For the first time in forever, we’re going to have new experiences to share and new people to gossip about. Have you ever tried to play truth or dare with people you know better than yourself? The game starts to lose its spark when there isn’t a truth we haven’t told each other. I firmly believe that some time apart will bring an exciting, fresh dynamic to our group, and I’m sure it will have a fascinating effect on your friendships from home as well as you trade the spotlight around for storytelling.
In addition to how fun it is collecting stories while away at school that you know your friends will appreciate, I also get a rush of happiness sharing stories about them with my college friends as well. Making new memories is exciting, but retelling an old one is a memory in itself. Recounting to a new audience how your group spent the first day of senior week vacation bowling while drenched in rainwater will give you a rush of nostalgia and serotonin that’s almost as sweet as having your friends there to tell the story themselves.
If you are also lucky enough to have an inner circle that survived high school, but sometimes struggle with the distance, this is your reminder to reach out to them as often as you can. I completely understand that having a wave of sadness wash over you is a lot harder to handle when the people you’re used to relying on are no longer just a street away, but I really suggest the idea of making memories with them in mind. Thinking about how much they would enjoy whatever adventure you’re embarking on is a great way to keep them with you, and imagining their faces when you can share your story in person is priceless.
I would also recommend just making the best of whatever time you have. If it’s feasible to pick a weekend to drive back to see each other, do it. If all you can manage without a holiday break is a phone call, that works too. Even if you don’t live within walking distance from each other anymore, thanks to the existence of cell phones, they never really went too far, did they?
So whether they’re a quick car ride away or in a whole different time zone, tell your long-distance friends you love them today because communication and effort is what’s gonna keep those relationships afloat and keep the heartache away. Believe me, time will fly by faster than you think and you’ll be back together with your besties at your favorite coffee shop like no time has passed.