I met my long-distance BFF, Tessa Irene, in the Spring of 2017.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, I was the one who helped her make the final decision to spend $25 on a sock monkey. It was wearing our college's colors and she turned to me and asked, "Is this dumb?" and I smiled and answered, "Uhm, no! Get it." This, of course, was way before I realized she was to be one of the most important people in my life.
We met on more official terms in the Fall, during our first week at Millikin University.
Millikin was an interesting time for both of us and it is something that is explained in my article, "Leaving My Dream School Was The Best Decision I Have Ever Made." To sum it up, Tessa and I got to see the worst sides of each other and were still able to spend months with each other.
She saw me at my lowest and let me sleep on her floor for weeks; she let me wear her super cute clothes and made me coffee when I was sad; she went on adventures to the cafeteria to sneak out curly fries and Dr. Pepper; and she binge-watched TV with me on days that neither of us wanted to get out of bed. She had my back.
And she still does, except now she is 5 hours away. Now our friendship is confined to our phone screens, Facebook comments, and the rare once-every-other-month chance that we get to see each other in person.
And although the dynamics of our friendship have changed, our friendship hasn't.
And everyone deserves a long distance best friend like Tessa and here are some examples why:
1. She FaceTimes you to make you laugh when you are sad and need someone to talk to.
Tessa has special hair that never seizes to act "up" whenever I need a good laugh.
2. She sends multiple vines a week, this one being her (current) favorite:
Be careful when Tessa finds a new favorite vine. She once quoted this video for a solid four hours straight.
3. She sends Obama-related Valentines Cards on that special day.
No elaboration needed.
4. She sends comforting quotes when she cannot be with me in person.
She is the one with the Rupi Kaur book, I am the one with the unending necessity for Rupi Kaur poems. It works out perfectly.
5. She sends pictures of her cat, Belly, when I am having cat withdrawals:
6. She includes you in her near-death experiences when re-watching The Vampire Diaries.
I cannot go through the ups-and-downs of The Vampire Diaries without Tessa. I am unapologetically infatuated with this show — it is nice to have someone in my life who is as well. She understands me.
7. And she absolutely assassinates your world with a single picture.
Who knew all it takes is a pool of milk, flowers, and a goddess to create such a mesmerizing photo?
I am so lucky to have a long distance best friend like Tessa and it just comes to show that when someone is truly meant to be in your life, distance does not matter.
If you all want to be as lucky as I am, I recommend that you continue talking to the people who make positive impacts on your life, no matter how many hours they live from you. If they bring a light into your life, it does not matter how little you see them in person — all that matters is their friendship.
