For the past few weeks, I have been enjoying my return home from college for the holidays. This break has been truly a wonderful experience. However, I encountered a few unexpected emotions once I got back. I realized that I have been away in college, but life here in my hometown in Maryland was not put on pause. So I wondered if the friends that have stayed here would be as excited to see me as I was to see them and Maryland once again. Also, I wondered if the strong bond I had with my friends that too had left for college might have weakened.
The friendships that I have been blessed with throughout my life, especially high school, have always brought me happiness. However, my friends and I have never spent so much time apart; and I constantly hear how once you attend college, you lose a lot of friends from back home. So how could I not worry about whether or not my friends and I would still ‘click’ like we use to?
Then the moment came. All my close friends and I got together to meet up and hang out, just like we use to. I’m not sure if anyone was as anxious as me because I was the only one of the group who hadn’t been home since August. Everyone else had the opportunity to see each other over the Thanksgiving break – unfortunately, I was not able to come home.
After sitting around laughing, talking, and joking just like we use to, it hit me. The bond I have with my close friends is a true, loving bond. Yes, it is true that I don’t talk to as many people from high school, as much as I use to. The friends that have always been close to me though, are just as close to me as they used to be.
A true friendship is not easily broken. Neither time nor distance can bring it to an end. So leaving helped me to value the individual relationships that I have with my friends and everyone that is involved in my life. Now I understand that I don’t have to worry or be anxious anymore. My friends and I truly care about each other and our well-being. So it seems as though our friendships shall be everlasting.
Sierra Terrell is a college freshman at Troy University in Troy, Alabama majoring in Psychology. Originally from Waldorf, Maryland, Sierra was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Maryland for 2012. Learn more about Sierra here!
