As we go our separate ways yet again for each of us to experience another year of college, I just hope you know how grateful I am to have each of you in my life. Some of you I met in high school, some of you I have known for more than 10 years. I truly cannot imagine my life without your beautiful presence. To know that when some of us return home from college for the summer that we still have the kind of friendship that just picks up right where it left off is really awesome if you think about it. I mean, you guys have stuck around with me through my awkward phase (that I’m not really sure has ended), so therefore you all must be pretty decent people. We have had our ups and downs, dealt with some truly unnecessary drama, and learned so much about ourselves and about each other through the years. Heck I honestly think some of you know me better than I know myself.
I still remember our high school graduation day, where I clapped a little louder when each of your names were called. As we all walked across that stage, secretly I was having an epiphany that yes, we would be going to different schools, making different friends, and having different college adventures. I know we were each so ready for our different journeys in life, but accepting the fact that I wouldn’t have my best friends at my side the upcoming fall was truly difficult. But hey, we all got through the challenges of freshmen year, the craziness of sophomore year, and each year it sadly gets easier yet harder to say goodbye to all of you at the end of every summer. I know this sounds somewhat harsh, but obviously as we have developed other friendships at college, so it makes it a little bit easier to say goodbye to each other knowing that each of us can go back to school without worrying about being lonely. At the same time though, it is so sad knowing that most of us won’t see one another until Thanksgiving. But once we are reunited, it really is worth the wait. The laughs, the silence that isn’t so awkward, and the fact that you let me embarrassingly use my selfie stick whenever there is a photo-op are just some of the reasons that I am so incredibly grateful for you all.
As we see some groups of high school friends slowly fall apart, I cannot express how much I hope this does not happen to us, which I do not think that it will. So, thank you for reassuring me when I worry, keeping the group chat entertaining, accompanying me on my ice cream outings, singing really obnoxiously in the car, always remembering my birthday, knowing how to be the life of the party, always liking and occasionally commenting on my Instagram posts, and for sticking with me all these years even after college has separated us. Oh, and making sure someone always brings the buffalo chicken dip.