Dear Hometown Friends,
I just wanted to say how nice it is to see you, when I see you. We may have parted ways once we graduated from high school, but it seems as if we find our way back to the happiness, love, and adventure we created every summer when we come home.
That is one of my favorite feelings. The feeling of coming back to a place that you know you have not only a physical home, but also a mental sense of it. The people that I chose to surround myself with through thick and thin growing up are still here for me through the highs and the lows now. I want to tell you people: you make my summers so much more bright.
No matter how far we are at school, we get to be together for a few months. I don't care if they get cut short from family vacations, jobs, or whatever else. The time we spend together can seem like forever when it is filled with laughter and love.
It can be fun to look back and laugh at our younger selves, but at least we can look at each other and still realize we have time to be young. The common saying in practically every conversation we have is: "Wow I can't believe we're almost..." Done with college? I know. Those words get thrown around during the same times we throw our selves into a pool or crazy plans for the weekend. We are growing up, yes, but we are still ourselves. I am so thankful that I still get to share the capability of making memories with you that will last a lifetime.
In one glance or meeting we can catch up about everything the other person has missed and suddenly: all feels right with the world. Except, nothing was wrong with it when we did not have all the details of one another's lives, because we are always certain there will be an update session soon to come. Also- I know you too well to not and text you too much to not entirely know what you've been up to.
I love seeing your parents just as much as seeing mine, because they were always around too. I still know the way around your house and I have no problem with making it known that I have decided to randomly come visit: I mean how could I not when I missed you so much!? The fashion trends have changed, and maybe we have even adapted more to where we currently live than where we stay for the summer. However, the friendship we share continues to get stronger and so much more than that.
It wasn't like I didn't know what was going on with your life. Pictures and statuses from social media keep me somewhat updated, but nothing will replace a conversation we have on your back porch, on my comfy couch, or even just in the car driving around our old stomping grounds. I think as time goes on, school goes on, living goes on, it is not the places we re-visit when we are home that make us reconnect: but who we visit.
As for the people that I might not have been as close with growing up in this town, one thing that I know we have in common is that we keep coming back. These sights, these people, and these memories that we all have are too special to ignore. Home will always be the place that I grew up, the place where my family raised me, and the place I made the friends I can never wait to throw my arms around the minute I get back.
Love,
Your Friend Forever
