We've all had best friends.. well, at least the vast majority of us. The guys or gals we call the minute something exciting happens like our crush actually talks to us. The one who knows almost all of our secrets and we plan elaborate adventures and escapades with. Whether we were friends from birth or from the 11th grade... or if we met randomly on the street, they always hold a very valid place in our hearts.
College comes along and sometimes that means planning the next four years of your life with your BFF, talking about which parties to go to or which sororities to rush... sometimes it means parting ways for two vastly different roads ahead. Distance as short as 30 miles can have an impact on a friendship or relationship. Couples break up and decide to "see other people"... that's sort of what friendships do, too... though a lot of times it's not something you actually have a sit-down discussion about. These things just happen. Maybe it's the gradual drift. We start creating ourselves as we're able to see our full potential. Our attitudes, wardrobes, and circle of friends morph into something entirely different. So where does that leave our former best friends?
I guess I'm just thinking about this a lot as one of my very best friends in the world has moved off to grad school, some 700+ miles away and we never had that "break up" conversation. I grew apart from most of the girls I was incredibly close with in high school, but she was the only girl I managed to keep any real contact with. Still, our lives changed... boys came and went, degrees were earned and new adventures planned. I was so reluctant to ever say or do anything about it because I didn't want to admit that things were different... that we were undoubtedly drifting apart. It's so scary and sad to think about! This was the girl I basically lived with during the summers, the one I battled heartbreaks with, the one who went on a whirlwind 2,000+ mile roadtrip for no real reason with me... yet everything felt so strange and unfamiliar.
Even though this isn't much of a "story," I hope it is one that has a happy ending. We have talked about it and said our peace.... hopefully this means good things to come. More frequent conversations so we no longer feel like strangers, visits when the other happens to be around, and handwritten letters and postcards. We have both agreed to put forth more effort... to try and actually stop that gradual drift.
I've managed to let go of so many people I was close to in life, but there are those select few that you just can't seem to shake.
My question for you is: Do you have any best friends? What do you love about them? Drifting apart after high school/college is inevitable, but how did you handle this? Do you still talk to any people you went to school with? and lastly, how do you make friends if you're out of the education scene?
It's safe to say this girl could always use some more friends! I love everyone I've met through the blogosphere, but wish that you all lived so much closer! Here's to growing up without growing apart.
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