When you were in elementary you were friends with everyone, but as the years went by you found your circle getting smaller and smaller. You went to less birthdays and invited fewer girls to your sleepover. The beauty of this was the fake friends were weeded out, and you were left with the ones that would stand by you for the rest of your life.

I’ve had the same best friend since I was a sophomore in high school. We didn’t necessarily do everything together, but we were interested in the same things and hated the same people so that was good enough for us. As we grew older and went to separate colleges, we were 3+ hours apart. You’d think this was a tragic thing, but it was actually the exact opposite. Having a long distance best friend is perfect.

1. You talk every day.

It doesn’t matter how far apart we are we still talk every day. Whether it’s something that happened, random thoughts, or gossip she is always my go-to

2. They give solid unbiased advice.

There are many times I’ll need advice, and I know I can count on her. She’ll give it to me straight whether it’s what I wanted to hear or not. She steers me in the right direction, and is always there to listen to my side. I can’t thank her enough for that.

3. You don’t get sick of them.

Unlike a friend you see and hang out with every day, you never get sick of a long distance best friend. I am still able to live my life and share it with her without her living it too. It’s nice being able to tell someone about what’s going on that wasn’t there.

4. They make for a great host when you come visit and vice versa.

When either of us visit it’s always an event (when we have notice). We pull out all the stops to make sure the other has a great time and feels welcome. We don’t have mediocre weekends, that’s for sure.

5. Their new friends become your new friends and you still hate the same people by association.

She brings your name up in conversation so much her friends feel like they already know you. This is an absolute blessing and it takes out the awkwardness when you first meet them. It turns out her friends are a lot like you which is great.

We may be heading in separate directions as far as careers or locations go, but it doesn’t matter how far apart we are. She knows when I get married she will be my maid of honor, and I know when she has a child I’ll be the fun aunt and spoil it as if it were my own. Distance can tear apart many things, but it can’t break the bond between best friends.