We all have those friends we would do anything for, no questions asked. If they called right now and needed something, we’d drop everything to help them. We spend hours upon hours on the phone with them, just talking about random stuff that happened throughout the day, or about nothing at all. It’s almost as If your day wouldn’t be the same without the quirky, random private jokes that only the two of you understand. Afternoon lunches and trips to Walmart seem to be your thing.

And then, without warning, it stops. You go from talking on the phone or hanging out every day, to every other day. Your afternoon lunch sessions start happening less and less. But I've realized something: this distance between you two is happening because you are growing up, not apart. This can happen at anytime. Right after high school, or even after college; it could just happen because your friend gets married. It hurts, and at times you can't understand why it's happened. Texting only happens on birthdays and holidays now. You like each other's post on social media, but no one strikes up conversation about it anymore. This is the ugly side of growing up.

As the two of you get older one of you might start a family, while at the same time the other might be more focused on finishing school. And that's okay. You and your friend are not hanging out in the same circles anymore. By that I mean, you two are just in different stages in your lives. Unless you two are doing the exact same thing with your lives, your friendship will change. It’s not something you choose, it just happens.

When your friend takes a different path in life, away from you, it is easy to feel like you aren't moving forward with your life. You compare yourself to them and their happiness, their choices and it hurts. It's not like you aren't happy for them, but it feels as though you need to be on the same level, like how it used to be.

And maybe, as you watch your friend's life go in a certain direction while you're finding your own path you end up searching for what they have because it seems to have worked for them. I am guilty of this. I searched for the love that I saw my best friends have. I was jealous and felt as though they had left me behind. I had this thought that, if I found the love and happiness they did, we wouldn't drift apart so suddenly. I tried to make myself someone I'm not to catch the attention of those I didn't need in my life just to try and catch up to my friends And then I came to this conclusion: not everyone moves at the same pace. And Just because they moved faster than you in certain aspects, doesn't mean they left you behind. They just settled down sooner than you are supposed to.

But one thing that will never change: I know that if I call my friend at any time, they'll be there. That's enough for me. Our friendship has changed, but the love is still there; and if they need me, I would be there for them. I hope they know that.