Friendship is easy when you and your girls are constantly going out together and hitting up the local hang out spots every single weekend. It’s even easier when you and your best friends can be at each other’s door in minutes, but long distance friendship is rewarding and takes time, commitment and true admiration for your best friend. Having a long distance best friend comes with so many more obstacles to overcome: clashing schedules, new friends and boyfriends they haven’t met yet, work load, barring the distance and trying to balance your life without your favorite person by your side. In order to keep the bond strong and the friendship growing, it requires an admiration and a true love for your best friends, that makes the friendships stronger than any other type of friendship.
There are countless reasons why having a long distance best friend proves you have the truest friendship, but here are my top five.
- She’s still your person and the one you turn to when your life hits rock bottom or when you feel on top of the world. Even though it’d take hours and hours to be by her side so you have to settle for hour long phone calls and FaceTimes instead, your best friend is all ears and does everything in her power to show you love and support. Your long distance homegirl is your metaphoric shoulder to lean on and she always makes you feel better because she’s your rock.
- You both get to takes trips and adventures to see each other. I moved from home to go to college in Florida while my best friends still hold it down in Chicago, so it’s always a win when we book plane tickets to see each other and it’s even better when they surprise visit you (tuck and roll). When we get to see each other, it’s a vacation and a break from reality. We truly get to enjoy each other’s company because we sometimes go weeks and months without seeing other, which seems like a lifetime without them. When you see them after so long, you don’t want to let them go so you go in for the extra long bear hug.
- You notice the little things about them and they do the same with you. When your new friends talk about something, a memory suddenly brings you back to the days of being inseparable with your best friend. When you try a new restaurant or go to a concert without them, you always say “Sam would so love this. I wish she was here.” This always results in cute reminder texts to each other about past adventures, laughters and week getaways.
- When they come visit or you go visit them, it’s like you haven’t skipped a beat. Everything’s always so normal and relaxed, no matter how long you’ve gone without seeing each other or talking. Weeks sometimes pass without a lot of interaction because we all get caught up in our lives, but your long distance best friends don’t get mad or jealous you’re hanging out with a new gang or didn’t text them every day. They just miss you and want to hear all about school, work and the family. The most important is you all genuinely care about each other’s happiness.
- They get to meet all your new friends and get to see your new way of life. Many of us don’t go to the same college as our best friend, but visiting each other always makes for some of the most exciting nights. They get to finally meet the guy you’ve been dating for some time, so they can finally approve of him. They get to meet your sorority sisters and your roommates. They get to see your mom, which is like a second mom to your best friends. All I kept thinking was “wow Tori fits right in!” It feels like old times, but new and improved as we grow up. It’s one of the best feelings being able to bring your lifelong friends into your present environment.
Your long distance best friends are your truest friends because they tell it like it is and don’t hesitate to tell you how they feel or what they think because you all don’t fight and bicker about petty matters; they allow you to lean on them for the heavy things. She’s proud of you and lifts you higher than you ever imagined and that’s why nothing can stand between you and your true friends, not even 1200 miles.
In dedication to my girls: Tori & Samantha
