My dearest friends,

Let me just begin by saying I have not fallen off the face of the Earth (yet). This is one of those, “It’s not you, it’s me,” situations, except you're my friends, not my significant other. I do not know what it is about summer, but it hinders on so many friendships made throughout the school year.

While I care about you as my friends, I have to neglect you like an abandoned puppy. I think every college student can understand where I am coming from. Between working, taking summer classes, traveling and keeping up with the family, it can be hard to give you all the time you need. The number times I have to social media stalk you to keep up with you is sad. The amount of guilty “I miss you, let’s hang out soon” texts I have sent and received, yet never came through with, is also quite sad. I am just at that point where I feel like a terrible friend for not keeping up with your life.

In this little soul search it dawned on me, I am freaking awesome friend. I am literally writing an open apology that anyone on God’s green Earth can read. I care about each of my friends, no matter the closeness of the friendship, deeply. Just because I do not Snapchat you every second of the day and text you all the time does not mean I am not celebrating your triumphs like your own personal cheerleader. Scrolling through my social media after a long day of work allows me to watch all of the fun each one of you is having this summer and reminds me of how lucky I am to have such outgoing friends.

All I ask is for a small favor. Please remain understanding and patient. I know I am not around much, but it does not mean that I do not care. Each of my friends has a purpose of being in my life and I am forever grateful for that. I think this summer break is a good thing for friendships because it makes reunions with one another so much more meaningful. If people learned to “fall off the face of the Earth” for some time, they would learn to appreciate their friends more. When we see our friends every day, we lose sight of all that they do for us. This summer break has given me the perfect amount of time to have my space and accomplish what I need to. When school comes around, we should be able to pick up right where we left off. Why? We're friends, that is what we do! So my lovely friends, keep enjoying your summers and know that I have not gone anywhere. I still care about you as I work my butt off. I am always rooting for you and wishing for the best in your life.

Sincerely,

Your exhausted friend that likes all of your posts on social media to make up for my absence.