I left a lot of things behind when I left for college; moving to a different side of the country for school meant that I would see less of my family, give up living in my beautiful coastal city, and go without seeing some of my best friends for long stretches of time. I left Georgia in August with the intention of keeping up a daily correspondence with my friends from home. The last thing I wanted was to give up my friendships, and I was afraid of starting new ones in such an unfamiliar location.

I realized quickly that daily correspondence was simply impossible. My schedule was packed full of classes, work and extracurricular activities, and before I knew it, I had let two weeks go by without checking in with my friends from home. Suddenly, I was struck by the fear that everything was changing and that I was not going to be able to hold on to the people who meant the world to me, all because of the vast distance between us.

I called one of my best friends that day. She did not know what was on my mind during our conversation, but it seemed as though it had not been two weeks since the last time we had spoken. We talked about our days and how our lives were going, just as we had in high school. After I hung up, I was left with a growing sense of peace and understanding.

The strongest friendships will endure despite distance and despite reduced communication. Best friends do not have to constantly talk to one another to know that the other one cares for them and will always be there for them. It is not the amount of communication that defines a relationship after all; rather, it is the depth and understanding involved in that communication. Even though I don’t see some of my best friends every day anymore, they’re still my best friends, and I could pick up the phone and call them with full confidence that any one of them would still be there for me.

I’m not saying that it’s healthy to completely stop talking to your friends, but healthy friendships survive the distance that life brings. I hope that all of my friends at home know that I still love them even though we don’t talk every day, and I know that they still love me. And after all, the distance we suffer during the school year only makes our conversations and reunions that much more precious and meaningful.