I’m graduating in a week, and for the past couple of days I’ve been saying goodbye to a lot of people. For my closer friends it’s more like “See you later,” and for professors, mentors, and other older adults there are a lot of thank yous and appreciation notes. But for some other friends, the goodbyes feel more final. These are people who’ve shared really fun times with me. Some have shared difficult times with me too. You may have my same rare sense of humor, or my uncommon likes and interests, or my appreciation for real talk and deep conversations. But for one reason or another, we didn’t become close friends. Most of you know the kind of friend I'm talking about.

If you’re one of these people, then I need to thank you, too. Thanks for helping to make my college experience all that it was.

If we never see each other again, it does not mean our friendship was a failure or a fraud. If our paths fail to cross for years and years, it does not mean that if we happen to run into each other at the store we should both apologize and make up excuses for not seeking each other out. And it does not mean we no longer like or care about each other, or that we never did.

You were essential to the times we were together. I look forward to more of those times in the future, if they are meant to be, and I won’t be afraid to ask you to hang out later even if we haven’t spoken for years by that time. It’s nice to know that going forward in life, in this sea of people, there are a few more I can now depend on to always be a friend. And if we don’t see each other, I’ll be wishing the best for you from here.