I am more than halfway through summer and missing school has become an everyday occurrence. At the beginning of summer, I knew I wasn’t going to miss the walks to class in below freezing weather. I wouldn’t miss dressing up on Sunday nights for chapter when I could be wearing sweatpants in bed. Though I could go a few days not missing these things, missing the people I grew close to never took a day off. College does that to people. It brings you closer than you could have ever possibly imagined.

Thanks to modern technology, it is easier to stay in touch with friends that are halfway across the country. However, nothing is as good as talking to them face to face. Texting your friends about your day isn’t the same as meeting at the dining hall to talk about classes, people you hate, and people you like. Snapchatting your friends from a party at home isn’t as fun as going out at school with your best friends right beside you. And don’t get me started on saying your group's catchphrases at home when no one understands what you’re talking about.

It’s refreshing when you do get to Facetime or house party your friends. This is probably going to be kind of cheesy but hearing their voice, though slightly distorted, can just make you so happy. It reminds me they’re actually real and not this magical creature I made up. Video chatting your friends is the best substitute for not being able to be there in person. Two of my really good friends and I would always do homework together and that usually doesn’t involve much talking. Turns out that being around each other and not talking is our default setting. We were all house partying the other night and talked for about 20 minutes before sitting on the phone for four more hours while we all did our own stuff. It was comforting to resort back to this because it was just like old times, when none of us felt the need to impress one another or try and keep a conversation going.

In a way, I’m thankful for this feeling of melancholy. I guess it just proves I picked a good school. The things you miss the most are the things you love the most. My friends and I will get back to laughing about things that happened in the past year. We'll begin to create new memories that we will laugh at in the years to come. We will do regrettable things and hang our heads the next morning thinking about it. So shoutout to my wonderful, beautiful, messy friends. I can’t wait to see you all real soon!