A Circle is Round...

And never ends.
That's how long that you should keep your friends.
~A song from when I was in Brownies

Today I said "see ya later" to a close friend from high school. She leaves on Tuesday for Central America, where she'll be traveling until September. After that, she'll start a six-month internship working with sea turtles in Costa Rica.

Having a last visit with her got me thinking; I am very lucky to have the friends that I have. By no means do I have a lot of friends- but I'd like to think that the ones that I do have are among the kindest, coolest, and wisest people on the planet. Sometimes I think about the path I have lead in life, and the only steps that I would change would be those in which I added stress to the lives of those that I hold dearest.

Re-connecting with those that I have known for so many years is very important to me. This friend in particular was one of the first people I befriended when moving to Washington. Come to think of it, the three hs friends that I am in closest contact with now are among the first few people I even talked to during that first nervous year of high school. Coming home to meet with these girls is like coming home to family. There have been many many times that I have felt very negatively about myself and have had horrid thoughts. Somehow, though, being in the company of these precious people- I always feel loved. They are open and give their friendship freely. Every sour note I have is always counteracted by smiles and laughter over memories from years ago or stories from our most recent endeavors.

To be honest, I can be a very odd person. On any given day, I receive looks of confusion, shaking heads, and the occasional flabbergasted face. What makes my friends so special is that they take all the weird things that I say and do in stride; they know me well enough to sometimes realize that I don't always express myself in the most eloquent manner and that sometimes my quirks are more prominent than my normal sides. After all my flaws and oddities, these girls still want to hang out after months of lost connections and missed phone calls. They truly define the idea of "picking up where you left off."

Soon we will be separated again and located on all corners of this continent. Of all people I know though, I am not worried about my friendships with these girls- S, A, and R. We went to four different schools in four different cities and have managed to stay close. I know now that not even the entire globe will break the bonds that we have - those will be around fo'eva.

*This does get me thinking about those friends from college. I guess time will tell for most relationships. From those that graduated in the years before me, distances are vast and communication is sparse (heck, I just found out that one is having a baby soon!), but I hope God will bless me with the chance to stay in touch. I hope I am remembered.