It’s crazy how time flies, isn’t it? One day you’re in your freshman year of college, sitting in your friend’s garage, eating tacos and listening to The Smiths. Then all of a sudden, you’re a senior in college and you don’t even talk to that friend anymore.
Okay, maybe in this specific example, it’s just me. But you know what I mean, right? We all have those friends that we’re super close with and then we end up drifting apart over time. You see them on Facebook and still might follow them on Twitter and Instagram, but you don’t text or call them as often as you used to do.
This happens a lot, especially in your college days where you’re deciding on what path you want to take, who you want to be in the world and what you want to do with your life.
Drifting away from friends can happen subtly. You start to get busy and your phone calls turn into texts saying that you’ll call them back later, your texts end up being shorter and farther apart, your phone calls end up going to voice mail; eventually, all communication ceases to exist.
Other times, you outgrow some of your old friends. Do you have those friends who go out every weekend and have little responsibility? It was so much fun hanging out with them, but now you’re older and you might have a job, an internship, upper division classes and graduation anxieties/excitement. Sometimes, a Friday night wrapped up in a blanket, watching Netflix and eating pizza sounds just as exciting (maybe even more exciting) than going to the club.
However, outgrowing friends is a natural occurrence, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. People just drift apart sometimes. During our college career, we get pulled in a lot of directions, and we shouldn’t feel bad about it.
You may lose a few friends along the way, but with that also comes new friends. As you become older, you learn more about yourself and what you like and dislike. You join things that you want to do and in turn, meet people with the same interests as you. For me, I joined Associated Students Inc. (ASI), which opened up so many doors for me to get involved on campus. Through ASI, I’ve met people who share the same interests as me—some of who are now my closest friends.
It’s also important to know that you won’t lose every friend that goes in a different direction than you. Some of my best friends from high school are still my best friends today, and we hang out on a regular basis. We went to different colleges, chose completely different majors and there were times where we didn’t see each other very often.
Some people are in your life temporarily. It doesn’t take anything away from the friendship and fun that you had together. Not everyone is meant to be in your life forever, and that’s okay!
If you ever wonder what that old friend is up to, call or text them and see! They might be really happy to hear from you. Sometimes just checking in every once in a while is nice!
Have you ever drifted away from friends? Tell The Campus Crop using #campuscropchat via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
