So, our first year of college is over. We did it. As we all start to go back home and some of you start unpacking boxes, I want to take the time to say that I know that things are not the same anymore. We spent a year apart. We spent a year without seeing each other Monday through Friday, sitting at that lunch table, or cracking jokes. With that in mind, I need to say a few things to you, things that I never said before.
Thank you.
Thank you for the laughs and the tears. Thank you for the inside jokes. Thank you for the hilarious group messages that always seemed to blow up my phone at 3:00 a.m. the night before a test. (I didn’t mind.) Thank you for always being there for me and for supporting me so much more than I ever deserved. Thank you for the advice. Sometimes, admittedly, I thought that you were wrong. I rolled my eyes at your words. However, you, my best friends, were always right. Thank you for the crazy Friday nights and the even crazier summer nights. I will never forget the memories that we made. Thank you for helping me get through high school. You made me a better person.
I miss you.
There are a few friends who I haven’t seen since we walked across that stage to receive our diplomas and the rest of our lives began. To those friends: I miss you. I realize, now, that our friendship only withstood those four tumultuous years and beyond because I saw you every day. There is no bad blood between us because the friendship ended. I understand that life goes on. Still, I miss you sometimes and I wonder where you are or what you are doing. I hope, more than anything, that you are successful. You deserve all of the success in the world.
I’m sorry that I took you for granted.
In college, I am surrounded by new friends. While I am content, happy, and grateful for my surroundings, I miss you. I miss the simplicity of seeing you every day, sitting at the same lunch table, and having the same classes. I miss the times when you were a locker away or right down the hall. We don’t have that now and sometimes I catch myself thinking about what I would give to have it all back for just a month, a week, or even a day. I miss how easy it was.
I am so proud of you.
In the short year since we left that high school building for the last time, we have seen more success than we could ever dream of. I am so proud of you. I will always support your goals and your dreams. Even if we don’t talk frequently anymore, I will be here, cheering you on. We have come so far in the past year and it only goes up from here.
You have forever left your mark on me and I am so grateful for our four years of incredible comradery. You have been my support system, my confidants, and my source of smiles. I will never forget the memories that we have made or the times that we shared. Life is changing and we are moving on, achieving our wildest dreams. However, even so, I hope that you know that I will never forget you and I’ll always be here if you need me.
