Where would we all be in life without our friends? Friends are the ones who make our lives worth the while and seem to be able to handle our problems when we can't. One of my personal goals is to constantly seek the kind of friendships that will last. I also make it a goal to keep up with friends from the past that I want to stay in my life. My best friend from high school will be coming to visit me for Memorial weekend. I'm so excited to have girl time by the pool with her and catch up over drinks now that we're both 21! Also, I'm really hoping we make time for some photo adventures! She was my photography partner-in-crime during high school, serving as my model for so many photo-shoots, I'm really excited to maybe get out and use my camera again.
Lexx and I became friends when we were about 15 years old, but the past 3 years of our friendship have been spent going to colleges in different states. So how do you not just maintain a friendship from a distance, but keep it active and strong? Here are a few things that have helped Lexxi and I over the past few years.
1. Communicate. Communicate. COMMUNICATE. As cheesy and typical as this piece of advice sounds, it is the absolute key to make a friendship survive. With technology like Skype and texting it should be the easiest thing in the world, but sometimes we take for granted that we have the ability to communicate with a friend almost constantly. Use your resources and keep asking them about their life! If they want the friendship to last they'll return the favor and ask you too.
2. Still go to your long distance friends for advice. Sometimes when your friend is far away, they don't completely understand a situation you may be in. Maybe they don't know the people, place, or attitude of the new place you live, so it starts to seem silly to ask them for advice. It's not! An outsider's opinion sometimes can be 100 times better than the opinions of those who are too close to see the situation. So don't ever be afraid to call up your friend and ask them for their two cents!
3. Make solid plans to visit in advance. If you don't sit down with them over Skype and set a solid weekend to visit, chances are it will never happen. You just find yourself saying, "You should come visit soon!" or "I really want to come see you some time!" In these situations, 'sometime' and 'soon' may never come. It just takes 15 minutes to pick an exact date, so do it! Plus, it gives you something to look forward to and something fun to talk about.
4. Send each other mail. Everyone loves getting mail. Whether it's a letter or a package, real mail is just something so personal as compared to the text messages and emails of today's communication world. Maybe you send each other post cards or the doodles you drew in class that made you think of them, but in the end a friend always appreciates the time taken to send them a little piece of you!
5. Be patient. Everyone is busy sometimes, and some of us are just busy all the time! Sometimes when we aren't busy it's hard to remember that our far away friends may be. They're on different schedules than us and have different needs to meet, which can make it hard to keep communication and plans in sync. Just remember not to get frustrated! Your friend probably wants to talk to you too, but if they're too busy they just can't. Be patient with them and they'll be patient with you when you're end of things gets a little crazy.
Lexx and I wish you a very happy Memorial Day Weekend and hope you have fun with some great friends! love, lindsay
