Sometimes distance is just the thing you need to clear your head. I’ve always heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I never fully understood what that meant until I moved away from my friends and family. The months leading up to me leaving were stressful for everyone. My parents and I were always at each others throats; we could blame it on whatever reasons we wanted, but we all knew that it was because my parents didn’t want me to leave, and I was ready to get the hell out. When I moved, I was so thankful that I wouldn’t have to see or even talk to my parents every day. But the longer I was gone, the more I began to miss them.

It’s been four months since I moved, and my mom and I are closer than we have ever been. We talk every single day, most of the time multiple times a day. I call her every time I have to make a decision. One time I even made her go grocery shopping with me over the phone. I call her when I’m happy, I call her when I’m sad. I call her every day when I get out of class, it’s gotten to the point that she knows what time I get out of class and expects my call. I call her for literally no reason whatsoever, just because I want to talk to her. She’s become my person that I go to for everything, and as sad as it is to admit it, that never happened until I moved. I honestly feel like me moving away saved our relationship, because we are closer now than we ever were.

The same thing happened with my dad. Although my dad has always been my best friend, it is no secret that the closer the time came for me to move, the more we began to not see eye to eye. Just like with my mom, my dad and I fought a lot this past year over stupid things, but when I moved that all changed. My dad and I send each other weird memes on a daily basis. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s just kind of our thing. He always texts me and asks about my day, and I always reply with a sarcastic comment. It’s how we show each other love. We never fight anymore, and I always know that he is there to have my back and give me a good laugh when I need it.

The same thing happened with the rest of my family, too. I talk to my grandparents all the time, whether it be on the phone or over text, and it has made me realize how much I miss having them around. I call my grandmother at least once a week with “HELP, I can’t get this stain out of my clothes! What do I do?!” Not only did this happen with my close family, but even with the most unexpected ones, too. I have a cousin that is 10 years older than me and was my best friend when I was younger, but as we grew up and life happened we slowly grew apart. We didn’t talk for a few years and I had accepted that she was out of my life, and then when I moved to college that completely changed. We talk all the time, whether it be complaining to each other about life or sending each other funny pictures just to make the other laugh. My relationship with her has changed completely, and I think I have moving to thank for it.

My point in all this is that moving away made me realize how much my family means to me. I took them for granted when I had them in arms reach, and now that they are hours away I realize how important they are in my life. I couldn't do life without them, and I don't tell them that enough.