Dear Long Distance Friend,
When they said you were going to meet some of your best friends in college, they meant it. What they didn’t say though is that the majority of them will live hundreds of miles away from you after classes end, and it will suck. So this is why I’m writing this letter to you, as a way to let you know how much you’re constantly in my thoughts.
Let me start by saying, I am going through serious friendship withdrawals. I miss being able to walk to your room. I miss covering for each other when one of us can't pay for a McChicken at McDonalds. I miss crying mutually over dumb things like the fact that Mr. Darcy isn't real and will never ask us to have this dance. I even miss our fights, because they would always end with us laughing and ordering a pizza.
I think the nights are the weirdest. Sometimes I will catch myself whipping out my phone to text you to grab some food with me before I realize that won’t be possible for another few months. It was so easy to just walk to your dorm/apartment and kidnap you for a few hours to spend some much-needed time at the movies. You became a key part of my support system, and not being able to physically talk to you when I need you is almost surreal. Who else can I talk to about my nightmare about a pizza monster burning down my room with no judgment?
The hardest part about this temporary long distance relationship though is that for three whole months we won’t be able to experience things together. I won’t be there when you get your wisdom teeth out, just like you won’t be there when I get my first cartilage piercing. The thoughts and emotions that surround certain experiences can never really be replicated through a phone call or text. I hate more than anything the phrase “you had to be there” and I hate having to use that while talking to you. Why hasn’t instant teleportation been invented yet?
But enough about my reminiscent, sappy musings. Through this absence, we mustn’t treat our friendship like a co-dependency that debilitates us when we are separated. We must use this time apart to continue to better ourselves, to grow. This way we can be proud of each other when we finally reunite. Independent growth is so important, and nothing is more validating than seeing a loved one confirm it for you after spending time apart.
Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but absence is also a pain and has no business interfering with our relationship. Try not to grow up TOO much in these long, desolate summer months. You will always have a place in my heart, and I am counting down the days until I get to see you in August.
From Your Better Half,
Terri
