This past semester, two of my best friends transferred to other schools. One chose to do so, while the other was forced to because of financial reasons. Before I got back to school after knowing they wouldn't be there, I was nervous. Extremely nervous. The first night I got back to school, I set up my room, sat there and cried. I cried for hours. I missed them so much. I ended up FaceTiming them that night for hours and then each day spent every waking second missing them and texting them. The amount of phone calls, texts, and Snapchats sent to the two of them was enough for anyone to say that it was unhealthy.

I learned a couple of things from having my security blanket ripped out from under me. I began to put myself out there again, trying to befriend everyone almost as if I was in that awkward freshmen stage of trying to figure out a friend group. This led to me creating multiple relationships with people I never would have if my friends were still at school. Losing them forced me to remember that I can still make friends and that it's important to do so each day. I wouldn't say I was in a rut when they were at school with me but it was a cushion that I was more than happy to lean on.

The other thing I learned from this was that long distance friendships are hard but possible. Everyone has had a friend that they've done long distance with. It sucks and is a lot of work, but entirely worth it. I rely on my two friends for so much and maybe even more that they're gone. Before they were constant companions but now when we talk, the conversations revolve around deeper issues and mean so much more to me. Of course there are the occasional, "OMG I saw a dog today and it was great" texts but when we Skype, I see into their worlds on a level I didn't before. I get to see how they’ve grown in more apparent ways than when I was seeing them everyday. Being away from them allowed me a chance to step back and see them from a different perspective.

I’m not going to lie and say that having my best friends leave me was easy. It wasn’t. I still sometimes cry, or call them to whine about the fact that they are not there. As corny as it is, however, that door closing opened up so many new ones for me. When one friend transfers, a new friend comes in.