Once you get to college, you are told that the friendships you make there are going to be the ones that last forever. I think that might be true, but this doesn't mean that what you had before isn't good enough.
There are reasons why people stop being close to one another, especially if you're doing different things. Perhaps you go to different colleges or have different interests. But one thing that remains is what you shared with one another when you were close.
Sometimes, old friends are all you need, because they know who you were - even if they don't know who you are now. After all, you can always let them get to know you again, but you'd never be able to let a new friend know who you were before. But timing is everything, whether we like it or not.
Maybe your new friends wouldn't have been able to keep up with the old you, yet the new you makes them love you unconditionally. However, your old friends stuck with you through those hard teen years when you were a mess (I'm not saying you have all your stuff figured out now, but I'm sure you're on your way). And while your new friends see your current struggles, sometimes it's helpful to see things from the perspective of an old friend. At least it doesn't hurt to try.
In my case, I'm not always the best at keeping up with old friends, because yes, life gets in the way at times. But every time I get together with old friends, it feels as if time didn't pass by and we never stopped talking to each other. It's a weird yet comforting feeling to know that you'll always have those sort of friendships.
One thing that I didn't realize is that most of those type of friends still care for you as much as they probably did before, and just because you're not as close anymore doesn't mean that they won't be there for you. It's been my experience that at times these old friends are all you need when things get difficult.
Old friends are sort of a safe haven and a place where you can find comfort to be who you really are. In these sort of relationships, there tends to be a level of confidence that is somewhat easy to get back to after spending a little time together, and this is the best feeling ever.
You don't have to keep every old friend in your life, because that's just not realistic. But I do encourage you to try and reconnect with the ones that you find worth being friends with again. I promise you won't be disappointed.
At times we look for friendships and advice elsewhere when we've always had what we needed right in front of us - in an old friend.
