Goodbye’s are hard, even when they are not forever, and they are especially difficult when you’re saying goodbye to people who have impacted your life in such a beautiful way. As the school year comes to a close, some of us are experiencing the loss of our friends who are graduating. While we are so proud of our friends, it’s tough. The friends you make in university are the ones you have forever, so it’s sad when it comes time for the adjustment of moving away from one another; more specifically, when they are graduating, and you are not.
When looking forward to the year ahead, there will be changes, and for a while it will feel like something is missing. Our friends who have done their time will no longer walk the halls of our class buildings, be able to meet at our favourite spots on and off campus for coffee, or let us crash in their beds on nights we’ve had one too many. We will find ourselves going to text them about going to an event, then remembering they aren’t here anymore.
There will be an adjustment period to the long-distance friendships. While they no longer bear the burden of midterms and assignment deadlines, our friends who have graduated have our backs, reminding us that we’re almost done and we can do it! They’re only a text, a FaceTime, or a phone call away. As we adjust to the new school year, and appreciate the time spent with the friends that are conquering the year with us, we will always cherish the memories made.
So, to my friends who are graduating ahead of me…
Congratulations, it makes me proud to be your friend and see where your journeys take you. I am proud you succeeded in your university career, and thankful to have been a small part of it. While it sucks to be taking on my final year without you, I know it will still be amazing. As I will always be cheering you on for your future, I know you are cheering me on for mine, and that is something I’m extremely grateful for.