18 years together. Hundreds of miles apart. One best friend.
This describes the girl who has been my friend since we were three years old in daycare. Although I don’t remember the exact moment we met or why we decided from that point on we couldn’t NOT be in each other’s lives, I know it was one of our most pivotal choices either of us has ever made.
From meeting as young tots to continuing to grow our friendship throughout grade school and college, we have more than claimed the “best friend” status. Through thick and thin, I have never once questioned whether she has had my back nor if I had hers.
And the coolest part about our friendship is we have never even lived in the same town.
Even as kids who attended the same school, thanks to our rural area school district, her house was in a town 20 minutes from mine. Then in the fourth grade, I moved over 130 miles away. And now, our colleges are a solid three hours apart.
A lot of friendships may not be able to survive being apart, but once in a while, you’re lucky to come across a bond that is truly inseparable, regardless the distance. Being able to stay not only in touch but also close to one another in such circumstances brings out the best in a friendship.
We never fight. We never argue. We never get annoyed with each other. Since we are not constantly together, we are able to live our own separate lives without suffocation. It’s nice to have a friend who is always there to go do stuff with at the drop of a hat, but after a while, someone is going to a little sick of the other and needs a little break. We, however, never have to worry about that!
We also never have a problem finding something to talk about. When we get together, it is a chance to fill each other in on what is currently going on in our lives. Between school, Greek life, jobs and boys, we could talk for hours. It’s as if we never skipped a beat, even though it could have been months between seeing each other.
And when we do see each other, we take the opportunity to do really fun things together. Since we live significantly apart, we usually find excuses to visit one another through exciting events at our schools or going places we normally wouldn’t, such as concerts or vacations. Of course, we want to hang out, but why not use that as a time to make a memory? We have done so much as best friends and seen so many things.
We always have a good time. We always end up belly laughing. And we always end up reminiscing about all the fun times we have had together over the years.
They say if a friendship can last more than seven years, then it will last a lifetime. Well, we have that time frame beat, regardless of never having full access to one another at any given time. Having a long distance best friend comes with many perks and can be very special. I know she is just a phone call away, but for her, I would go the extra mile.
