You never forget the day of your graduation from high school. It is a memory that is fixed in your memory forever. Looking out into the vast array of graduation caps and gowns as well as that crowd full of proud family members and faculty seems to be an unforgettable moment. As the speeches go on, you get more and more excited about the prospect of walking across that stage to receive that long-awaited diploma, while also trying your best to not think about the prospect of tripping in the middle of that very same stage. The truth of the matter is that during your graduation, in the midst of all the smiles, laughter, and excitement, you don't think about the friends you are going to leave behind as you venture off into the unknown realm of college.

Soon, you get to college and you begin to learn more about yourself than you ever knew before. No one ever prepares you for that heartbreaking moment in which you realize that there once was a time in which life was based around these people and that time has passed. Knowing that your closest companions that played an enormous part in your high school growth are headed in completely different directions as you is one of the hardest parts of college to understand. In the midst of their growth, you don't even realize that you are growing yourself. Growth and change is inevitable. You won't always get to hang out with your friends over break and there may be people that you forget to contact as the years go on and the reality of that really isn't okay. However, there comes a point in which the appreciation of those times of support during those years in high school never goes away. The gratitude for all the tears endured, the all-nighters spent, and the early morning rises throughout the time of high school will always be present even though there is now a whole new group of people that share it in college. Sometimes just the shear appreciation is enough for that. You never truly leave your friends behind, although it may seem like it, you simply just grow. It's not so much that you are growing apart, just growing in separate times and separate places. The place these people hold in your heart never gets filled or removed, it just grows bigger for others. Never let go of your roots, however, always be open to allow yourself to grow further beyond the person you thought you could be.