Dear childhood best friends,

I cannot explain how thankful I am that all of you entered my life. You seriously made elementary school bearable. I really don’t know how I would have survived without your companionship, love, and support. It wasn’t easy for me being the new kid, but each one of you made sure that I felt welcome and comfortable. I had been through a lot and was broken emotionally and scared of the new beginning I was facing. I remember all of the recesses spent on the tire swings, bike rides after school, and chasing after the stupid ice cream man (I really think he hated us). Those were the days where everything was simple, pure, and life was a breeze. Sure we had our tiffs, and would go a few days without talking, but we always made up. What mattered the most was that the compassion you all showed made me feel like I belonged, and that was one of the best feelings in the world.

Elementary school seemed to fly by and before we knew it we had entered middle school. We were all pretty excited, but quivering inside. I remember looking at the roster right before school started, praying that I would see one of your names listed under my assigned homeroom and each year I did. We had entered the dreaded tweendom phase. Boy, was it a rollercoaster of hormonally influenced emotions and prepubescent drama. We called each other names, fought over boys and/or girls, and tried so hard to fit in. We had some pretty amazing adventures traveling through open fields (when we weren’t supposed to), getting milkshakes at our favorite restaurant, gorging on pizza almost every Wednesday after class, getting in trouble for dying the lawn blue with paint, attending a science camp that was ran by a bunch of hippies, and having super sleeping bag races down the stairs at one of our houses. We shared each other’s families, hopping from house to house. Most of the time we never called each other’s parents by their names and casually called them “mom”, “dad”, or “auntie” and “uncle”. Everything seemed perfect; that was until eighth grade ended.

I remember playing a prank on April Fools saying that I was going to be moving; who would have thought that a simple joke would become reality. There were many tears shed during my first year of high school, longing to have at least one of you there with me. We tried to stay in touch by making phone calls and sending texts. Even though the habits somewhat died down, whenever we got the chance to see each other it was as if we were those little kids again. We would laugh until we cried and catch up on everything in one another’s lives. It would feel perfect all over again, but once it was over it hurt like hell. Now we are all “grown ups” and have moved in different directions. Most of us moved to different states, pursued different careers, attended college, and ultimately formed our own lives. Not a single day goes by that I don’t think about our friendship and how much I miss every one of you. The phone calls have fizzled out, texts are almost nonexistent, and sometimes we shoot each other a message on social media; but that’s the extent of our contact. No matter the distance, or lack of contact, all of you will forever hold a place in my heart.

Love,

Your Best Friend