This past weekend, my best friend from back home came to visit me. I only get to see her once a year and I cherish these times with her. Having a best friend who lives far away does pose many challenges (like how are we going to stay close when we are far apart?), but it also has some surprising positives. Friendships come and go throughout college, but having someone who is always there for you makes everything better.
I realized how easy our friendship was–and how nice it was to not think about what I was going to say next or how to act. It was so natural and even if we had nothing to do, it still meant that we could spend time together.
Being separated from someone you are extremely close with can be a positive thing in the long run. For example, when you see each other it makes those times more special and more valuable than ever.
Also, you have SO much to talk about and catch up on because you have not had time to just vent and tell them all about what is going on in your life.
When you reunite, the pure happiness you feel makes the next time you meet more exciting and then the wait seems worth it. Even if it may be months or even a year before you see each other again, you know the next time you reunite will be even better than last time.
Long distance friendships have also showed me that when best friends put in the effort and make time to talk when you are apart, it means a lot when everyone has a busy lifestyle and a lot going on.
Spending time with friends at school is a lot more frequent, but having those solid close friends that you see every few months or years are the ones to hold onto. You know that no matter what the distance is, you will always remain close in a world that seems far.