Oh, high school…
Am I the only one who feels nostalgic over the fact that it’s been so long since I’ve graduated high school, and I no longer speak to any of the people with whom I shared the most memorable moments with?
For me, high school was filled with so much drama, but also so many good moments – which I intend to tell my children about, by the way.
But let’s just talk about the fact that I wouldn’t have had any of these memories without the marvelous help of my friends – whatever happened to them, anyway?
They were around for four incredibly important years of my life, but then they seemed to have disappeared. I remember having that discussion about how once high school is over, we would never drift apart and continue being as close as ever – boy, was I wrong.
The moment I realized that we were no longer close friends was around two years later.
Two years of trying to make an effort to go out for lunch – simply to catch up on what we’ve been up to – was one of the most difficult accomplishments ever.
Nevertheless, we did have some form of contact throughout all of these years – whether it being on Facebook, Instagram, or even a phone call, we did try.
But even this form of contact wasn’t all that much. It was obvious we didn’t have much to talk about. My mother had always told me that I would lose those friends, but I honestly never believed her because we were always so incredibly close.
We seemed to have drifted apart – although it wasn’t completely due to the minimal amount of communication or social interaction, but indeed the fact that our interests were no longer the same.
My friends and I simply have different priorities. The possibility that we don’t have time to catch up can also be due to the fact that we have deadlines for papers, exams, work, internships, etc.
I don’t blame my friends, and I hope they don’t put that on me as well, but put it this way; growing apart helped us become the people we are today.
For me, it’s only been five years since high school graduation, but plenty has changed since then.
I must admit, though, I was incredibly angry throughout many years for not having those important people around in my life, but I slowly realized that my departure from high school was one that transitioned not only me, but those friends of mine, into whom we had all aspired to become.
It’s not only the transition from being a teenager to becoming a responsible adult, but it’s also the fact that we no longer want the drama that came along with high school – not to mention, some of the people we probably hung out with weren’t the greatest of influences.
It’s understandable that no one wants to start a new life with all of those issues from the past, or the drama we had in high school; we just want a clean slate.
High school friendships are like that, though. There’s a lot of drama involved because we were all young, and assumed that these were important issues. Little did we know that the real life issues were to come.
We tend to push those teenage problems aside, along with those who loved starting them; because, who needs people like that in their lives? No one.
Past romantic relationships also contribute to the fact that many of my friendships had ended – including my relationship with my then-boyfriend.
My high school boyfriend and I had many friends, but once the relationship was over, it was obvious that those friendships would end as well. I was well aware of that happening, but I was also prepared for a lot of the drama that came along with it.
Not to mention, but when you’re in a high school relationship, you’re constantly watched by everyone around you. There’s plenty of jealousy going around by people who you thought were your friends, but in reality, didn’t want you to be happy at all. This was completely unhealthy for us.
If this was my idea of friendship, then I am certainly glad a lot of people that were in my life have disappeared.
The relationship I have with my boyfriend now is the healthiest one. We don’t necessarily surround ourselves with people who we know won’t wish us well, and our friendship list is very limited, as opposed to the big group he and I both used to have back in high school.
Another positive aspect towards leaving many of your high school friendships behind is making new friends in college; because these are the people with whom we share our new interests with, and will stay by our sides for a very, very long time, so I’ve heard.
For me, going from high school to university was a difficult transition. I was so afraid of not being able to make new friends, but I did, and I’m so incredibly grateful for it.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. Not all of my high school friendships have ended. I do still keep in touch with one or two friends. This obviously means that they were worth sticking around, and I’d like to think they feel the same way about me as well. I’m happy that I still have someone as important as them.
So, here’s to our high school friends. Although we had four years filled with plenty of drama, we also did have some good moments. Those friendships helped shape our lives, and made us all realize who is worth keeping, and who is not worth it at all. I thank those friends that made me the person I am today, because without you, I wouldn’t know how to be who I am. No hard feelings. We’ve all just changed.
