It’s that time of the year again–the time when some of your closest friends come to you saying that, unfortunately, they will not return to school in the fall. Whether this is because of financial problems, huge opportunities, family issues, or personal matters, no reason makes it any easier.
After many tears and long goodbyes, you end with promises to stay close and dates penned into your planner of when you’ll visit each other. As you watch her board that plane or squeeze into her car packed full of boxes, you can’t help but wonder to yourself, “Will I really ever see her again?”
That is the issue with college friends. You may think you’ll be together forever after one semester of being attached at the hip, but all it takes is one turn of events or one tragic event for everything to change. Then the unthinkable happens–you grow apart.
My question is, is that really a bad thing? We’ve all had friends in our lives who have only been around for a season, and we shouldn’t want to change that for anything. These friends all taught us life lessons, and they also taught us about ourselves. Whether it ended in heartbreak, tears, or anger, those friends meant something to you, and you should never take that for granted.
Take a second and think about even the worst friendships in your life, like your friendship with that girl who was your “bestie” one minute, but then went and slept with your boyfriend. She may be a bitch, but she saved you from spending one more second with that loser who was going nowhere. And what about that girl who made you feel loved and accepted, but then told the entire high school about your Beenie Baby collection as a sophomore? She made you learn how to hold your head up high through any situation. That girl that won’t be back in the fall, though. She gave you the best semester of your life, and she taught you to never settle for a boring year and to always chase after the football quarterback.
It’s always sad to see those friendships go away, and as much as we wish we could stay together forever, that can’t always happen. Don’t lose touch, though. I promise, that extra care package during her finals or a shoutout on her birthday will mean the world. And who knows? Maybe you’ll cross paths again in the future.
Wipe away your tears and remember all the memories, and never let a friendship fade because you didn’t put in a little work–even when there are miles and miles between you.