When I was in middle school, some of my friends and I thought it would be fun to steal the idea from "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and circulate something between us that would keep our friendship alive after one of us moved to a different school. Unfortunately, we found no magic pants that would miraculously fit our very different body types, so instead, we use a denim purse that we decorated with puff paint.
The idea was that each girl would have the bag for a couple weeks, write in the journal we placed inside about our time with the bag, and pass it on to the next girl. This was a fantastic plan, except we couldn’t drive yet, so getting the bag to a different town was next to impossible. Needless to say, the “sisterhood of the traveling bag” died not long after it was started.
Luckily, I was the last one in possession of the bag, a fact I found out while home for Thanksgiving break a couple weeks ago. Not only was the bag still in good condition, but the journal was still inside, and I got to read the gems written in it by a few fourteen year old girls who knew very little about the world outside their small town. It was hilarious; the things we thought were problems at that time were problems I desperately wish I had now. I am deeply sorry to anyone who knew any of us during that time period.
I am happy to say I am still friends with the sisterhood, along with several other friends I have had since I was younger. Some I’ve known since I was three, but even those who came along later have made my life what it is today. We’ve all survived each other’s fashion disasters, embarrassing crushes, and petty arguments over things that have long been forgotten. Being away from them all but a couple months of the year has been one of the hardest things about going to IU, and I am thankful for the few hours we get to spend together over the holidays and catch up over soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden.
It is hard for me to imagine that in a few months, I might be even farther away from them. If somehow I end up with a real world job after graduation, there’s a chance I’ll be moving out of the Midwest and hundreds of miles away from the people I consider my rocks. It’s hard to accept that the days we all see each other every day are long gone. Growing up is tough, and it’s even tougher without the people who know me the best at my side. This is one of the reasons I’m incredibly grateful for technology, because I know I can give them a call or send a text at any time, no matter what for, and get a response right away.
After reading through the journal (with plenty of breaks to hysterically laugh at the content), I put the bag back in its spot in my closet, with the hopes that I remember to take it with me wherever I end up next. Who knows, the traveling bag may come out of retirement someday and be used to give us some relief from our real world problems. Until then, Snapchats and group texts will do, but I’ll never look forward to anything more than the few times a year we can sit down face to face and act like teenagers again.
Thank you for everything. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you.
