Dear friends:
I didn’t want this to be the long sappy affair that you usually read on this topic but when I sat down to write, I realized that I’m feeling pretty sappy.
First of all I love you and I think about you all the time. Second, I’m sorry for not trying harder to stay in touch. I use social media as an excuse to not text or call because I can see your life through Facebook posts. Every once in a while my Dad will ask, “Are you still in touch with so and so?”, and my response is that we’re friends on Facebook.
When did Facebook and Instagram become the core of so many of my friendships? It happened when life got too hectic for all of us and we forgot about cards, phone calls and texts. That’s okay though, we’ve all translated our friendships into the realm of social media because it’s simply easier.
Just to be clear, I don’t only think about our friendship when I see your profile on my phone screen. I think about you when I hear a song we used to jam out to, when I want to tell you about that awkward moment I just had, and sometimes just because you pop into my head.
Sometimes I’m scared to text you, or share something funny with you because I’m afraid I’ve changed too much and you won’t recognize me anymore. I don’t mean my appearance, I mean my personality and my mannerisms. We’ve been at college or at work and we’ve met new people and new friends who have influenced us more than we know. But I have to believe that we can still be ourselves, the selves we are now, and still be friends. Because someday we’ll meet up and talk and it might feel like we’re meeting each other all over again, but I’m hoping that it will feel perfectly familiar and comfortable.
So I hope this letter finds you well. I hope that life has given you everything you need so far, the good and the bad. Maybe you’ve got big plans ahead and maybe you’ve got no clue what to do next. Personally, I’m in the category of no clue what to do next.
Do you still know every last word of “The Climb” and sing it in the car on bad days? Do you still have that odd habit of saying “habit” every time you have a moment of déjà vu? How about your family? Do you still have the same argument with your little sister and fight your Dad over the prime parking spot?
That barely even makes a dent in the long list of questions I have about your life. Because I am always curious about you. I used to know your daily struggles and triumphs and now I just hope that you are still overcoming those struggles and celebrating afterwards. When I talk about you to other people, I still call you my best friend or my favorite person. I still smile at your success and cry at your heartache, and I smile every time I say your name. We may have gone our separate ways and may continue to do so, but I still value and think fondly of our friendship and I hope that you do too.
Love,
The old friend who still considers you to be her best friend
