When people ask me about my best friends, I have to tell them that they live six hours away and I have not seen them since August. This does not change the fact that these long-distance friends are my best friends.
I would argue that the distance has made our friendship stronger. Our friendship is built on a foundation of five summers spent together at sleep-away camp. As we each embark on our next chapters as young adults, our friendship is now maintained via group chat, FaceTime calls, and endless Snapchats.
Instead of waking up to them every day, like I did at camp all those years ago, I now have to put in an active effort to maintain my friendships, which has only strengthened them. My friends and I are constantly calling each other to catch up on our days, give and seek advice, etc. They probably know more about me and my life than my friends who I constantly see at U of M, likely because of our long-distance friend group’s need for constant communication to keep our friendships alive. I can almost guarantee that every time I pick up my phone, there will be a Snap, text, TikTok DM, or notification of some sort from one of my long-distance friends waiting for me. If not for virtual communication, there would be no guarantee that I would be able to call them my best friends.
With all of this said, I know that I will be able to take these moments, practices, and habits and apply them to the friendships I have made in school when we all leave for the summer. I have been lucky enough to form friendships with people from all across the country while here at Michigan. However, come May, they will now be my long-distance friends too. Now, at school, I see these friends almost every single day–in class, eating lunch, in the library, or just hanging out. I know that these moments will soon be memories and we will communicate solely through screens. But, I also know that this does not mean that our friendships will come to a stopping point during our time off from class.
In a few months, these U of M friends will be the friends that I am constantly communicating with through the phone. Honestly, I am excited to watch our friendships strengthen through the distance. Just because your friends are far away does not mean they cannot be your closest friends. For that, I am forever grateful.