I've always been against long distance relationships. To me, there is too much maintenance and work involved in making special relationships last from far lengths. Yet, I've come to realize how incredibly wrong I have been. Every morning, I wake up to a text from my friend in Wisconsin, then send a Snap back to someone in Colorado, and call all my favorite people in Champaign on my way to class.

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have a huge group of friends. So massive to the point of people warning us about losing touch, but we never did. I don't fall in love, laugh too hard, or even take a step without telling my home friends.

I love the term "home friends." It encompasses the comfort each of them embodies. Being away and independent is an incredible adventure, but there is nothing like coming back to our familiar meet-up spots and reminiscing together in the language of slang only we can understand. The greatest and most unique part about my home friends is our adorable ability to look past classic "guy groups" versus "girl groups." I, along with everyone else, am just as close with my guy friends than any girl in the group. Probably because they knew me when I was chubby and awkward with braces.

To the people that made me realize long distance is worth it: thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to be disinhibited and in all your faces.Thank you for all your versatile bits and pieces. Thank you for the small shrapnels of heartache that I'll eventually learn from. Thank you for the various parts of yourself that you have unknowingly divulged unto me. Without each of you, I may never be the person you know today. I love seeing each of your faces through my phone screen, I'll never get sick of them.

No matter how far we'll travel, or how long we'll be away, we have to return home sometime. You guys are the best part about being home.