It’s funny how distancing myself from a life-long friendship actually made the friendship stronger, healthier, and filled with new adventure. From the age of 2, we have been best friends, sisters, and enemies. Growing up two houses away from each other, weekly dinners, same sports teams, classes, and family vacations, having our relationship fall apart never occurred to us. Sure we could be each other’s worst enemies but actually losing our friendship and growing up separately was impossible.

Then high school came. New people, boyfriends, sports teams, and pressures to fit in pulled us apart. There was never a falling out, never a battle, just two girls experiencing a new chapter of their life on their own. It’s impossible to control how life directs your choices and how those choices affect the people that matter most to you. How could I not tell you how much I missed having your support, laughter, sarcasm, and weirdness in my life? How could I put up a barrier that our friendship was over and it was never going to be the same?

Moving away from home and from the poisons of high school gave me new perspectives on the importance of not giving up on our friendship. Rather than using the distance to justify us never being friends again, we used the distance to reconnect. We didn’t focus on what our friendship used to be. Instead, we focused on all the independent experiences we’ve had that in most ways were almost identical. One whole day spent doing the things we love and already we are back to our friendship. A friendship I have missed having for quite a few years now and a friendship that I will remember to take for granted. Did we just become best friends? Again? I hope so, because I don’t know what I would do without you!