We have all lived through friendships fizzling down. You are close with someone for months or years and for reasons neither of you might be able to explain, you drift apart. Different schools, different career paths, difference aspirations. It can be sad to think you were close to someone one day and not the other, but you don’t think about it too much. You remember your friend with fondness, it’s how life goes.

But there’s something different about friendships that are forced to an end. It’s sad yes, but also, in a way, the most powerful kind of friendship.

Flash friendships haven an expiration date. Whether it’s days, months or even a few years down the line, you know for a fact that circumstances will get in the way. Life is funny like that – it’ll throw some of the most amazing human beings at you and then let you keep them for a very short amount of time. As much as I love meeting people and making new friends, it sucks when you realize you click with someone so much and have so little time to get to know them. Studying abroad and travelling this happens quite a bit, and I always think to myself, was it worth it? If only I hadn’t met them… I wouldn’t know what I’m going to miss out on.

The answer always ends up being yes it was. It’s always worth it and I would want to meet them a hundred times over even if it meant saying goodbye over and over again.

Although I have some really good long-term friends, there something special about people you meet along the way. You know nothing about them, they know nothing about you. There are no expectations, no standards to live up to, no baggage. With flash friends you are able to live fully in the present. You can both enjoy the experience that brought you together with nothing else getting in the way. There’s no context. You can be you, in that moment, without having to worry about where either of you come from or where you’re heading.

At the same time, there so much catching up to do – both in what there is to talk and what there is to do. You want to learn who they are, what makes them tick, what keeps them awake at night. This makes for long nights and conversations you likely won’t forget. Also, because you know there’s only so much you can do together, these are the friends that will be down for anything. Whether you go stroll around a new city at night or stay up just laughing, you are going to want to make the best of the time you have, which means “no” is rarely an answer.

The past few years I’ve made a lot of friends I know it will be hard to keep in touch with physically. I have friends who live half the way across the globe and even with those who live only a short plane ride away, I know it will be harder than I’d like it to be. It’s been tempting to try not to get close to people I know I won’t see in the future. But I’ve learned to appreciate the spontaneity, the brevity and the power of those short-lived friendships. My flash friends have been some of the most adventurous, sweet, funny and loyal people I've met, so as hard as it is to say goodbye, I’ve learned to appreciate the gift of time with them, no matter how short.

I think life has perfect timing – it gives you the people you need, when you need them, for as long as you need them. When I look back at people I was very close to at some point, I realize it wouldn’t have been the same (we might not have even been friends) if I hadn’t known there was an “expiration date”. So I appreciate every friendship for what it was and for what it taught me. I’ve also realized that some friendships live beyond their time. There’s people who, no matter how long you haven’t seen each other for, are still there like it’s day 1. These are the people you carry with you everywhere you go, your home away from home and away from yourself.

So my advice is, no matter how hard it will be to eventually say goodbye, always say hello. Whatever that person has to teach, you will learn from no one else. Be open to those (maybe painful?) but amazing short experiences with people you cross along the way and always keep an eye open for those worth the extra effort to hold on to.