This is a pretty sad thing to write about, but that’s what happens in life -- you drift away from some friends and you find new ones. It’s pretty rare to be friends with the exact same people you were friends with in kindergarten. If you are, you probably aren’t as close.

I come from an extremely small town (like, 33 people in my graduating class small). I was fortunate enough to remain friends with a few of the same people all through school. But then, we grew up. We got into high school, and things changed. We were still friends, but something was off. We stopped hanging out as much. We separated into smaller groups and you could just feel yourself drifting away.

Even though things felt a little different, when I graduated, I didn’t think I would lose one of my best friends. I thought we had a strong enough connection, ya know? We had been there for each other through the boys, the heartbreak, the first kisses, the first and last day of school, and I believed we had shared enough stories and memories that we would always be close friends.

But then you hang out and you notice they aren’t really paying attention to you. Or it’s almost impossible to find time to hang out together because it’s just not as important to make time for each other. It really hits home when they stop coming home on breaks or for the summer, and you literally don’t see each other for a whole year. Or when you pass each other in Walmart and all you do is wave and keep walking. You would still do anything for them and you still love them so much, but you just don’t feel close anymore. You don’t even feel comfortable having a five minute conversation, let alone hanging out all night. And on the off chance you do hang out for a night, you leave feeling unsatisfied and uncomfortable.

It sucks. It’s heartbreaking, exhausting and I’ve shed quite a few tears about it. I hate the feeling, and I especially hate the feeling that I can’t do anything about it. I know people grow up and they grow into who they are supposed to be, and I know God’s plan far surpasses my own, and I could tell myself this every day. But it still makes me sad. And I think that’s normal. Especially when you’re close, you’re allowed a certain amount of mourning.

The thing about graduating is, it’s great. You grow up and you get to meet a lot of new people and make some new friends. But it’s inevitable that you will lose some high school friends. There are some friendships that are just meant to be and they will last for the rest of your life. Some of these could be high school friends, but a lot of these friendships will be made in college. Cherish all your friendships and make the most of every moment you spend with your friends. Whether or not you remain friends forever, those moments and memories will get you through a lot of life’s toughest moments, and that outweighs any heartbreak.