It’s hard to believe we graduated almost three years ago. I remember dancing at prom together, taking photos at graduation together, and late-night swimming at my house saying we would be friends for the rest of our lives.
As time passed, so did people from high school. That girl you walked to calculus with? Went to school in Texas and never heard from again. Your teammates? You talked now and again, but by the second year of college, the friendship had fizzled out. We all quickly learned that some of our other friendships only existed because we saw those people five days a week.
As college began, we all began to drift our separate ways with some of us remaining in-state, while a few ventured off to California, Vermont, and Connecticut to follow our dreams in higher education. But I was never worried. I knew there was something special about this group of people I call my high school friends. As I met people in college, I still always thought of you when I heard your favorite song in a night out or ate your favorite food for dinner. I always checked up on you to hear stories about your new college life, friends, sororities, sport teams, musicals, and other involvements, and you did the same for me. I quickly learned that friendship is more than seeing each other a few days a week. Friendship is about quality of time, not quantity, whether that’s a 20-minute Skype call or a quick text to show you’re thinking of them.
As each subsequent break came and went, I felt even closer to you all than when we left high school. We may have not been there for each other’s “college firsts” in person, but we were excited to take turns swapping crazy stories the next time we were back together. You could have easily moved on in your new life and left high school as solely a distant memory, as some did, but instead you go out of your way to visit me at school, send me letters “just because,” and call me up when you are bored between classes. True friendships like that can’t be formed overnight.
While some people dread coming home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer breaks, I look forward to it. I look forward to board game nights at my house, and walking around the mall shopping like we used to when we were 15. I look forward to dinner dates at Olive Garden, and all of our new adventures to the bars as new 21-year-olds. And most importantly, I look forward to being able to feel 100 percent
comfortable in my skin with the people I care about the most. Thank you for sticking around in my life when you could have easily left with your new college life and friends. It means the world to be blessed with incredible people like you.
With love,
Kimmie
