Having your bff move away isn’t easy and there are definitely many struggles and hardships that come with having a long distance friendship. People grow up and people move on, it’s inevitable that someday your best friend might move away and they won’t always just be a phone call away. You might have to deal with time differences and the battle of not having service when they finally decide to Facetime you. Whether your bff moved to Illinois, Boston or maybe even Philly, there are five struggles every long distance bff can relate to.
One: The obvious: not seeing them face to face as often
Plane tickets are expensive, time off work to travel to South Boston is hard to come by and dealing with school and work schedules is a struggle. There are some days when a hug from your best friend is all you need. But when they’re thousands of miles away—that hug isn’t so easy to achieve. Sometimes you need that shoulder to cry on, someone to take that extra Patron shot with and someone to binge watch Sex and City over and over again with. Facetime is great and all, but there’s nothing like having your best friend next to you and knowing that it’s all going to be okay with them by your side. Skype just doesn’t cut it all the time. You enjoy seeing their face through the computer and on your IPhone but it’s not the same as that face to face connection you took for granted just a few months ago. It hurts not being able to be physically there for your bff when they’re sad or feeling down. They’re not a 10 minute drive down the road and their favorite double chocolate cookies won’t taste the same when you try to send them through mail.
Two: Watching them make new friends
No new friends, no no no. It’s never easy watching your best friend move on and make other best friends that they can enjoy nights out with, brunch with, shopping trips with and wine nights with. All these new faces make you nervous that your bff might forget about you—even though you know they won’t. The fear of drifting away from your bff is scary! But hey—you swallow your pride and you like their latest Instagram picture with unfamiliar faces. You can't expect them to not move on and meet new people in their new city. You know the bond you two share isn't replaceable. Jealously never looked good on anyone anyways.
Three: Making your own new friends
Everyone is unique, therefore so is every friendship. You might compare your new friendships to your long distance bff but it’ll never be same—for better or for worse. All friendships are different and you have to accept that you won’t be able to replace your long distance bff, but new friendships are good and so are new beginnings. Maybe your new friends aren't as crazy as your long distance bestie or as good as a wingman as they were but these things take time! Give new people a chance and let them in! Although they might get a
little creeped out when they see your emoji and emotional texts to your long
distance bestie but they’ll be anxious to meet them—just like you’ll be anxious
to introduce them!
Four: You'll miss important times in each other's lives
Usually when a friend moves away, they start to feel homesick. That first phone call of them crying about missing you and missing home will break your heart and you'll want to be there to tell them that it's okay and give them a big, reassuring hug. Like I said, Facetime and Skype are amazing creations but nothing sucks more than missing your bff’s birthday or not being able to see the excitement on their face when you hand them the Christmas gift you’ve spent so many hours and dollars on. Maybe you won’t get to dress up as Spice Girls this year on Halloween because you’re missing the Sporty Spice of your group. Maybe you won’t get to see each other walk on the stage and get that diploma but I’m sure you’ll hear all about it and see many pictures! It’s just a real bummer that you can’t spend these special moments with your best friend because they’re miles away. I mean come on, you’ve never missed each other’s birthdays before, it just won’t be the same without the crazy, homemade drunk Barbie cake you always make for each other.
Five: The countdown anxiety of when you’ll see them next
You can’t even be productive or focus because you’re so excited to see your bff! You two have been counting the days until they come home, you’re already planning the playlist you’ll jam too from when you pick them up to the airport. And when they come home, you’re going to be a territorial snob—because that’s your best friend and you have SO much catching up to do; I mean come on, you already made your checklist of things you need to go over and talk about. You two text all day, every day but that’s not enough, you can’t wait to see them—it’s been way too long! When the week countdown comes along you won’t even be able to focus because you’re so excited to see your bff. You’ve already taken the week off work and created an entire itinerary for the two of you. You can’t focus on work, school or even your daily routine because you’re that excited that your bff is finally coming home.
Even though you and your bestie might be miles apart, you know you’ll always remain close. Distance can never change the bond you two share. You’re still going to be in each other’s weddings and you’re still going to be referred to as “auntie” when they finally have kids. Distance might make times harder and more expensive for you and your bff but distance could never keep you two apart. Best friends grow up and grow apart but they always remain in each other’s life—even with miles and time differences in the way. Just like in a long distance relationship—it makes the heart grow fonder and you appreciate this person and the time spent together so much more than you would if they were still just the next town over. Seeing them after months of Facetime and OoVoo makes you feel like a little kid of Christmas Eve again! Planning your reunion to Vegas will only be that much more exciting and your trips to Nathan Bills will only be that much more ratchet when your bff finally comes home.Even though you may not see each other face to face daily, you can still have wine night and Bachelor night through Skype and you wouldn’t miss it for the world!
