Dear Friend,
I write this letter with a heavy heart. You are going away for college, and I am staying home. You are seeking new adventures at a big university on the east coast while I am staying here and attending community college. Your life is going to change next week, and mine will stay the same, except for the fact that you won't be here anymore.
I am so excited for you to start your new life, and in fact, I envy you for being as brave to go hundreds of miles away to be on your own for the first time. If I am being honest, it scares me to even think about not being within driving distance from my parents. You've always been braver than I am, and this has been what you wanted for the last two years. I cannot express how proud I am of you for finding somewhere new to call your home.
I had moved before high school from my hometown in Michigan, so I know how hard this is going to be for you. I also am aware of what happens when you leave your friends behind. They no longer answer your phone calls, you see pictures of them with other people on the internet and envy that you two can't have your spur-the-moment shopping sprees anymore, and that when you come home for visits, you may not have time to see me.
I promise to be here for you whenever you are available, and I promise you that I will always answer your text messages. My side of this friendship will always wait for you to come home, but if you cannot promise the same thing, I understand.
In college, your life changes. It isn't like high school where you have time to figure out who you want to be, college is the time to be who you want to be. Maybe you will realize you want a nose piercing, or a tattoo, or hot pink hair. Or maybe, you'll outgrow everything you have left behind at home, like me. You will mature so much in your first year away, that when you come home to the same people, the same town, and the same memories, you may find yourself over the same old things.
The term, "out with the old and in with the new" will apply to your brand new life away at University. I couldn't be prouder to have watched you grow these last few years, and I will be here when you come home. Good luck.
With love, Lauren.
