Growing up, my father always told me that “The friendships you form down the road will never be like the ones you had growing up.” At the time, I thought he just meant that you will never grow up with them. You’ll never see them transition from a loud, over energized first grader to a calm and collected adult on the day of their high school graduation. Now, I realize he meant so much more than that.
Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about being so far from the friends I grew up with is that I have to wait several months before I can update them on everything that is happening in my life and their life. Yes, I am aware I can just call or FaceTime them to tell them all about what's going on, but something about being there in person and telling stories about our college adventures at our favorite brunch place in town makes it worth the several month wait before I can spill all my stories. Being back home the past week has made me realize how truly thankful I am for the friends that grew up with me.
I’m so grateful that a third of our conversations start with “Remember when....” and that we can spend hours reminiscing about the first time we met each other, all the teachers we loved and hated growing up, all the people we went to school with and how much we miss the good ol’ days when our biggest worries were whether or not we would get a turn on the swings during recess. I love that all it takes is a conversation with my childhood friends to make me feel a thousand times better than I did at the beginning of the conversation. It’s amazing how some of my friends have been a part of my life for almost fifteen years now, more than half of my life. Some of them, I literally can’t even remember what my life was like before I met them.
To my childhood friends, thank you. Thank you for knowing me so well that half the time you know how the story I am about to tell is going to end. It’s amazing how well some of you can read me and can predict my actions. Thank you for being such a big part of my life for the past decade or so. I can always count on your support and honest opinions whenever I do something. I honestly do not know how I would have survived that rough days at college had it not been for the fact that a phone call or text message from you guys can make me forget all the negative emotions and focus on how in a few weeks I’ll be home with you guys and that no matter how rough life is at the moment, you guys will always be there to brighten things up. So to the friends who grew up with me, thank you for everything.
