Side by Side.

When I went to college I had severe anxiety. I had closed the chapter on some of the best years of my life, only to take a new book off the shelves without really knowing what the pages contained.

Let us travel back to the beautiful years before the college life and paint on the canvas of where it all began.

For some, high school was misery, loss and awkward. For others, it was bliss, love and crazy. And to those of the former, I truly am sorry. Because I fall into that latter category.  Those years for me were everything memorable. Everything I keep in a treasure chest of the hearts and everything I want to keep in the stories of my own personal library. I didn't say the days were always great and the nights were endless during those times. I didn't say that I didn't lock myself into my closet and shed tears when Friends aired the final episode of all time. I didn't say that I didn't cut my hair into a bob thinking it would fix my emotions. So, please don't hear what I didn't say.

However, those are the years we'll never get back. And not to be completely loose and melodramatic with my words (hold your judgement, especially if you know me well) if I were an oyster, I would say that's where I found a lot the pearls that have made up the necklace of my life. (What? You know that sounds sweet).

And you know how some people say, "I never stayed friends with any of my friends after high school... You never will?" Well, to those people, I get to say (in a polite and sweet way), "You were in every possible way, wrong. Very, very wrong."

A lot of us spread out when it came time for college. Some here. Some there. Some in other states. We all made new friends, some forever friends that will always be there. But we stand grounded still holding hands during the rough pains and the much needed deep soul laughs. And no one can take that from us. And no one can tell us otherwise.

From state to state, we have learned the meaning of phone calls, emails, Skype, group texts, farewell parties and coming home parties. When someone knows every side of you. Every great decision and every single and many many many wrong decisions you have made. Regardless of it all, the ones who are going to be there to tell you to shut up when you're believing lies. To calm you down when you're overreacting. And knowing that sometimes you don't want words, you just want presence and company. Those are the people you keep around. Those are the ones you would die for and die with. Those are the ones that you prefer to look your worst around, because putting on normal clothes and having to go out in public is just not the best option.

So, order a pizza, drink some wine and celebrate the friendship of what will never change. Regardless of location, time and season---we're still here. We're still friends. And you can't change that. No need to lock yourself in a closet and cry, because this era of these friends doesn't have an end date.

-S