My High School Friends Have Changed, And That's Okay | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

My High School Friends Have Changed, And That's Okay

Just because they don't act exactly like they did in high school, doesn't mean I don't still love them just as much as I did back then.

164
group of high school graduates
Personal Photo

I recently finished my first year of college and came home for the summer. Even though I didn't go to a college that was incredibly far away from my hometown, I went far enough away that I only came home maybe one or two weekends a month.

Since all of my friends from high school were in college and/or busy with their own lives, there were a lot of them that I hadn't seen in months, or even since we had graduated when I finally moved back home for the summer.

Of course, since we have all had an entire year to grow, change, and experience things without each other, outside of the comfort of our hometown, we have all changed.

I constantly see posts on social media about how you change so much in college or after high school that you can't stay friends with your friends from that time, but so far I have found that to be incredibly false. Yes, the girls that I graduated with have changed. I have changed, too.

We're no longer pre-occupied with who's going to win homecoming queen or who has a crush on who or who is going to be on the band leadership team next year. Instead, we've grown up.

Some of us moved away to college and lived alone for the first time, and it made us become more independent. Some of us started working our first "grown-up" job, and we're more responsible because of it. Some of us are engaged and some of us have already gotten married. A few of us are even expecting kids.

In the 12 short months between the time we graduated and now, we've seen and done things we never could have imagined. We've met and become friends with more unique and interesting people than we ever thought possible under the tiny umbrella of our small hometown, and those people have influenced us for the better. We've become smarter, stronger, more tolerant and more understanding. In just one year, we've become entirely new people on the inside.

However, just because we've changed doesn't mean we don't still love each other or we somehow love our new friends more. (Somehow, I love my hometown friends and my college friends equally, and a lot.) We may not get together as often as we used to, or even in the same places that we used to, but that doesn't mean we don't still get together and have a great time doing it.

We may not be as concerned with high school football as we used to be, but that's okay because now we have deeper things to talk about. We may not see each other every day anymore, and as the years continue to pass we may even grow further apart, but that doesn't mean we won't still care deeply for each other.

I have no doubt in mind that if in 20 years I had an emergency, any one of my close friends from high school would be there for me. We have experienced the highs and lows of high school together.

We watched each other morph from awkward prepubescent idiots into strong, confident, smart, beautiful women. We saw each other fall, and we helped each other rise. We witnessed every teenage heartbreak, every stupid fight, every failed test, every tryout, every stressful day, and through all of those experiences we developed a bond that cannot be severed just because we grew up and I think that's pretty awesome.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

291
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1646
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2388
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments