It's crazy to think that summer is already almost halfway over. Some of you might be leaving home for the first time this fall, which is probably incredibly exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time. You've already been through graduation, you've walked across the stage and got that little piece of paper that is so highly coveted at your age. You might have attended a bonfire or two by now, reminiscing on all the fun times you've had with your friends the past years. You're going to carelessly spend this summer at the beach, or at work, or maybe even at home, surrounded by people you've known anywhere from 1 to 18 years. At the close of summer, you will all promise to stay in touch and talk all the time. You all make promises to Skype and text and call, but here's the reality of it: you're going to lose friends.

I'm not saying you're going to lose all of your friends. Honestly, I'm still friends with a handful of people from high school, but there have been times we've drifted apart. No matter how close you think you are with some of these people, life happens. You're going to be busy and texts will become shorter and less frequent. FaceTime might become a monthly ritual instead of every weekend. The only thing holding you together might be your memories.

College is full of so many interesting people so, obviously, you're going to meet new people. Maybe you'll join an intramural sport, sorority, or fraternity. You'll gain new interests. Your friends are several hours away, but maybe you'll get lucky. You'll go home on breaks and it will be like nothing changed. Just know that it's completely normal to drift away from people you used to swear you would grow old with. Life changes, people change. You'll be lucky if you stay close with a handful, but your squad is going to shrink and then it will grow, and probably shrink again. You're going to lose friends.

If these people really mean that much to you, stay in touch. Be the one to send the first text or make the first call. Don't say, "If they wanted to talk to me, they would have tried by now." C'mon, that's just petty. Yes, the phone works both ways, but are you really going to be the one who gives up first? To burn the bridge first? That person could be thinking the same thing, "What if I'm bothering them?" Quit worrying so much about looking lame and quit worrying what's going to happen if your text is ignored. Swallow your pride.

Again, no matter how hard you try, throughout your whole life, you're going to lose friends. Sometimes your texts will go unanswered. Your voicemails just get deleted. You'll see your old friends on summer break and all you'll say is, "Hey let's get together soon." But soon never comes. The school year comes around sooner than they do. So heed my warning: enjoy this summer with your friends from these past years while you can, they might not be around forever.