Many people say you find your life-long best friends in college. Through my college experience, I have met very few people that stay very intimately attached to their high school tribe. However, for those of us that have or intend to, this is for you.
My group of high school friends are scattered around the great state of Texas, each working toward a different goal and experiencing a different stage of life. I have friends that may as well be married, friends that are taking a break from school, friends that are trying to figure out who they are and friends that found their identity after leaving our hometown. Each of my close friends share one thing in common, though: They make our friendship a priority, regardless of the distance between us. That may be easier said than done, but we (try to) make it look easy.
The lows of long-distance friendships can sometimes feel so much heftier than the highs. There are times when you feel like your friend doesn't have time for you anymore. Maybe they've made a new group of friends and you feel replaced. Maybe they finally found the love of their life and suddenly, you feel like the relationship that you with them had is minuscule in comparison to their new and exciting relationship. Sometimes you just lose touch for a few days, weeks or months, and it feels like an eternity. When tragedy strikes, your best friend can't be there in an instant with your favorite ice cream and a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. There are times when it gets really lonely. There are times when it feels like they're letting go, but luckily, in my experience, these feelings pass.
The highs of long-distance friendships are beautiful and lofty. It's a phone call at the beginning or end of every day. It's pictures sent back and forth, road trips to be reunited and sleepovers that feel like holidays. It's a person that knows the background chapters of your life and can give real insight on the chapters ahead. People who know the mistakes you've made and are willing to stick around for the ones ahead. Having long-distance friends means that you always have someone on the outside looking in on your life that can be subjective and honest. Someone you can trust with the deepest and darkest secrets, because let's face it, they don't know anyone where you live.
The best friendships are sturdy and warm. They're bittersweet, like the cup of coffee you need to get out of bed in the morning. They work for you and you work for them. The truest friendships are those that can withstand a little pressure every now and again. Long distance is nothing but a fortifying tool for the future. One day, we're all going to get married, employed or go off to chase our dreams, and the friendships that will withstand the duration of real, actual adulthood (something my parents assure me I've yet to experience) are the ones we keep through college, regardless of the distance between us.
Thank your friends that keep up with you, regardless of the mileage between. Thank your friends that make an effort to be part of your life. Love on your people with all that you have, and let them love on you in return. Don't burn bridges because you're leaving your hometown or your college town forever. Make investments in your future together. Build relationships that will grow and flourish, and water the seeds of your life to come, no matter the physical distance between. The friendships that grow through the cracks of separation are the friendships to cultivate for life.
